My Castor Bean Plant flowering and fruiting.
Castor bean plants are stunning with their mammoth star-shaped leaves that can reach 2-3 feet in length. Castor Bean plants typically grow one or more, smooth, reddish colored central stalks with very large palmate shaped, glossy, deep green to dark purple leaves, white or pinkish flowers, and reddish, spined fruit.
Castor Bean Plants (Ricinus ommunis) are native to the southeastern Mediterranean Basin, Eastern Africa, and India, but are widespread throughout tropical regions. Commonly found in the wild along stream banks, riverbeds on low lying areas. They have been naturalized in warm climates all over the world, and are widely grown elsewhere as an ornamental plant.
Despite its name, is not a true bean.
Despite its poisonous reputation, the castor bean, also known as Palma Christi, has been grown for thousands of years and has been used for everything from lamp oil to medicine.
As far back as 4,000 B.C., castor beans have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. The valuable oil from this tropical beauty was used thousands of years ago to light lamp wicks.
The seeds are extremely poisonous, but the toxins do not pass into the oil.
These days, about a million tons of castor oil seeds are grown worldwide, for making everything from paint and varnish to lubricant for jet engines, nylon, transparent soap and contraceptives. The seeds have also been considered as an alternative energy source for motor and diesel fuel. And scientists involved in cancer and AIDS research are studying the seeds' compounds.
