| Description | A large plant grown for its foliage, structure and flowers. Most parts of this plant are poisonous. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (RISS-i-nus) |
| Plant Type | All Plants, Perennial Tender |
| Hardiness Zone | 9-11, annual else where |
| Sunlight | full, mostly sunny |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Flowers | lack petals , found in terminal panicles, male part made of branched filaments found at the base, female flower forms feathery pistils, pink |
| Fruit | The seeds are formed in a spiky fruit. When ripe the rather large, bean-like seeds will be shot (dehisce) many feet from the pod. Seeds are very ornamental each having varied patterns of tan and lighter strikes on the brown seed. |
| Leaves | long petioles (peltate) that attach to the palmately lobed large leaf |
| Dimensions | 6 plus feet tall by equal spread |
| Propagation | seeds, soaked in water, can be seeded directly or seeded in a peat pot |
| Native Site | Egypt to Western Asia |
| Misc Facts | The seeds and many other parts of this plant are poisonous but the oil isn't. Castor oil is used in varnish, paints, as a lamp fuel, lubricant and as a Snake Oil elixir. The genus name Ricinus comes from the word ricinus which means tick, the appearance of the seed. They do look like large blood swollen Wood Ticks that can be found on animals. During the middle ages the leaf of this plant was referred to as Palma Christi (the Hand of Christ) |
| Notes & Reference | #48-Harrowsmiths Annual Garden (Bennett and Forsyth), #51-Armitage's Manual of Annuals, Biennials, and Half-Hardy Perennials (Alan Arimitage) |
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