Castor Bean
Related Category: Plants
bean produced by Ricinus communis, a plant of the family, widely cultivated as an ornamental. Moles die when they eat the roots. It has long been used as an poison in parts of Africa.
Castor bean is a hardy plant that grows into small trees in disturbed sites from the peninsula to the central and western panhandle (Wunderlin, 2003).
Castor bean (Ricinus communis) is a member of the spurge family and is native to tropical Africa where it grows as a tree to 40 feet tall. When grown as an annual it is usually a more modest 10 feet tall.
The Castor bean plant, an erect, tropical shrub or small tree, grows up to 30 feet tall.
As an annual in the cooler zones, it grows up to 15' tall.
It is a very fast growing plant.
Caution is advised if you decide to grow any castor bean plant. All parts are highly poisonous. If you have small children, or even pets, it is a wise choice not to grow it. Some people have allergic reactions after handling the plants or seeds.
Castor bean, Ricinus communis
Celosia, Celosia crista
Celosia, Cockscomb, Celosia argentea var. cristata ...
Mature castor beans are held within these prickly dry seed capsules.
Culture
Castor bean is very easy to grow; too easy, some might say. They have a tendency to self sow and new seedlings can pop up all summer long.
'Carmencita' castor bean is a shrub, usually grown as an annual, that grows to 6 to 10 feet and is well branched, with dark bronze-red foliage and bright red female flowers.
Castor Bean, one of the larger and more bold-textured of the foliage annuals, is often found in purple-foliaged form with extremely large, palmately lobed leaves; the club-like fruits are somewhat ornamental upon close inspection, ...
Castor Oil plant or Castor bean has lobed shaped leaves with red foliage and fruit. This plant can be propagated through seeds.
Pruning Hibiscus ...
castor bean Ricinus communis
catclaw mimosa Mimosa pigra
catnip Nepeta cataria
cat's claw, cat's claw trumpet Macfadyena unguis-cati
ceara rubber tree Manihot glaziovii
celandine Chelidonium majus
celery Apium graveolens
cereal rye Secale cereale ...
Castor bean plant (Ricinus communis)
Catchfly, campion (Silene species)
Cattleya (Cattleya species, Cattleya hybrids)
Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea botrytis)
Ceanothus (Ceanothus species) ...
Some plants such as gopher spurge (Euphorbia lathyrus) and castor bean (Ricinus communis) have been reported to deter gophers because they exude a poisonous substance from their roots.
Castor Bean (Ricinus communis)
Cockscomb (Celosia argentea)
Cypress Vine (Ipomoea quamoclit)
Dahlia (Dahlia species and hybrids)
Fan Flower (Scaevola aemula)
Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana species)
Four o'clock (Mirabilis jalapa) ...
The huge, bean-like seeds of the fast-growing castor bean plant (Ricinus communis) should be started indoors, in peat pots, about four to six weeks before the last frost. The big, star-shaped leaves can be green or reddish.
The same asters shaded by castor beans were flat on the ground as they crept toward light. It is interesting to observe shallow rooted plants like cosmos or marigolds that have fallen over during very wet spells.
Good plants for such use are: sunflower and castor bean for the back rows; zinnias for bright effects in the scarlets and lilacs; African marigolds for brilliant yellows; nicotianas for whites.
Poisonous plants such as oleander, hemlock and castor bean - these can harm soil life so only add these in small quantities - chop up ivy and succulents before composting, or they may sprout in the compost ...
Lemon grass gives a tropical feel to the garden. Plant it with other herbs, or near large leaved plants like castor bean and canna lily. It can also be used to as a back drop in the perennial bed or to form a border to separate areas of the garden.
Fruit a smooth capsule of the size of a filbert, three cells, each containing a single seed; these seeds resemble castor beans in size and structure, oblong, rounded at the extremities with two faces; ...
 See also: Bean, Ricinus communis, Green, May, Grass
|
