castor-oil plant

/kas"teuhr oyl", kah"steuhr-/

a tall plant, Ricinus communis, of the spurge family, cultivated for its ornamental foliage and having poisonous seeds that are the source of castor oil. Also called castor bean.

[1835-45]

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Large plant (Ricinus communis) of the spurge family, probably native to Africa and naturalized throughout the tropics.

It is grown commercially for the pharmaceutical and industrial uses of its oil and for use in landscape gardening because of its handsome, giant, fanlike leaves. The bristly, spined, bronze-to-red clusters of fruits are attractive but are often removed before they mature because of the poison concentrated in their mottled, beanlike seeds. There are hundreds of natural forms and many horticultural varieties of this species.

Castor-oil plant (Ricinus communis).

Kenneth and Brenda Formanek/EB Inc.

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▪ plant

      (Ricinus communis), large plant, of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), grown commercially for the pharmaceutical and industrial uses of its oil and for use in landscaping because of its handsome, giant, 12-lobed, palmate (fanlike) leaves. The bristly, spined, bronze-to-red clusters of fruits are attractive but often are removed before they mature because of the poison ricin concentrated in their mottled, beanlike seeds. Probably native to Africa, this species has become naturalized throughout the tropical world. The plants are chiefly cultivated in India and Brazil, largely for their oil. In the tropics the plants reach about 10 to 13 m (30 to 40 feet) in height. In temperate climates they are raised as annuals and grow 1.5 to 2.4 m in a single season. Although R. communis is the only species in its genus, there are hundreds of natural forms and many horticultural varieties.

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