LATIN NAME: RICINUS COMMUNIS

COMMON NAME: Castor Bean, Castor Oil Plant, Ricinus

The Ricinus communis, or castor bean, is one of the most striking and fast-growing of the tender plants, and its large, palmate, glossy leaves and its spiny, round seed pods have made it a favourite of the summer gardens and the tropical landscapes, despite the highly toxic nature of its seeds. It grows as a fast-growing, tender, evergreen perennial or a shrub of the spurge family, reaching up to ten metres or more in the warm regions, with the thick, branching, often reddish stems bearing the large, palmate, glossy, dark-green or reddish leaves with the seven to eleven toothed lobes, and bearing, in the summer, the small, greenish flowers in the tall clusters, followed by the spiny, round, green or red seed pods which contain the large, glossy, highly toxic seeds. It is a species of the flowering plant, native to the warm regions of the Africa and the Mediterranean, while it has been cultivated widely for its oil and its ornamental value, and it is known as the castor bean, the castor oil plant or the ricinus.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The castor bean has a real and distinguished place in research. It has been studied in the chemistry and the toxicology, since the castor bean seeds contain the highly toxic protein ricin and the castor oil, and the researchers have examined the seeds, the oil, their constituents and their toxicity, while the study of the toxic plants and their chemistry has drawn attention in the international chemical and toxicological press, and the seeds must be handled with great care and kept away from the children and the animals. The plant has also been studied in the agriculture and the crop science, since the castor bean is grown for its oil which is used in the industry, the cosmetics and the medicine, and the researchers have examined its cultivation, its harvest and its processing, while the study of the oil crops has been of continuing interest. The species has also been studied in botany, since it is a member of the spurge family and a relative of the poinsettia and the other euphorbias, and its relationships, its distribution and its many forms have been examined, while the large, palmate leaves and the spiny seed pods of the castor bean have been of interest to the botanists and the growers. For a plant of such drama, the castor bean has a rich and distinguished record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

To grow the Castor Bean from seed, the castor bean is a fast-growing, tender perennial of the warm regions, bearing the large, palmate, glossy leaves and the spiny, round seed pods which contain the highly toxic seeds. Its flowers feed the bees and the pollinating insects, and its fast, tall growth gives a dramatic, tropical presence in the summer garden and the landscape, while its tolerance of the poor soil makes it a valuable plant for the difficult sites. Its economic value is real: the castor bean is prized for its oil used in the industry, the cosmetics and the medicine, and its value has drawn attention in the international agricultural and chemical press, while the dramatic, tropical foliage has made it a favourite of the summer gardens and the landscapes, and the plant is a fine addition to the summer border and the tropical garden, with the seeds kept well away from the children and the animals. To raise the castor bean, sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a warm, bright place, keep them gently watered, and grow the little plants on in the warmth.

sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a warm, bright place, keep the young castor bean gently watered, and grow the little plants on in the warmth.

he castor bean plant, Ricinus communis, is a “native of tropical Africa cultivated in several varieties for the oil found in its leaves and for its bold foliage.”(Alber and Alber) The “stalked leaves consist of usually eight radiating, pointed leaflets with slightly serrated edges and prominent central veins. Many varieties are green, but some are reddish brown.”(Cooper and Johnson) The flowers are green and inconspicuous, but pink or red in the pigmented varieties. Many stamens are near the base and branching pistils are near the top of the flower. The soft-spined fruits containing attractively mottled seeds are distinctive features of the plant.   It is grown as an ornamental in gardens, sometimes as a houseplant, and also grows as a weed. It is an annual in the south and a perennial in the tropics, and it may reach “15 feet tall outdoors”. It is a woody herb belonging to the family of Euphorbiacea (Spurge). The seeds from the castor bean plant, Ricinus communis, are poisonous to people, animals and insects. One of the main toxic proteins is “ricin”, named by Stillmark in 1888 when he tested the beansí extract on red blood cells and saw them agglutinate. Now we know that the agglutination was due to another toxin that was also present, called RCA (Ricinus communis agglutinin). Ricin is a potent cytotoxin but a weak hemagglutinin, whereas RCA is a weak cytotoxin and a powerful hemagglutinin. Poisoning by ingestion of the castor bean is due to ricin, not RCA, because RCA does not penetrate the intestinal wall, and does not affect red blood cells unless given intravenously. If RCA is injected into the blood, it will cause the red blood cells to agglutinate and burst by hemolysis. Perhaps just one milligram of ricin can kill an adult. The symptoms of human poisoning begin within a few hours of ingestion. The symptoms are: abdominal pain vomiting diarrhea, sometimes bloody. Within several days there is: severe dehydration, a decrease in urine, and a decrease in blood pressure.