African Wonder Tree Ricinus communis
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- RISS-ih-nuss kom-YOO-niss
- This plant has high severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
-
Castor Bean is a cultivated, annual herbaceous ornamental in the Euphorbiaceae (spruge) family native to Africa.
Plant in full sun in rich moist soils. Fertilize regularly for the best growth. Pruning may be necessary to shape the plant. Plants will have low drought tolerance until well established.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Spider mites occasionally attack plants that are drought-stressed. If broken seeds are ingested, it is likely to cause death in humans. It may also be fatal to livestock and pets, but it is not often available to them.
VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Ricinus'
- 'Ricinus'
- 'Ricinus'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Ricinus'
- 'Ricinus'
- 'Ricinus'
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Ricinus
- Species:
- communis
- Family:
- Euphorbiaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- North East Tropical Africa
- Dimensions:
- Height: 6 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
-
-
Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Poisonous
-
-
Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
-
-
Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Description:
- Large, red, prickly capsule with slightly flattened seeds which are mottled brown-gray-white
-
-
Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Red/Burgundy
- White
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Flower Description:
- flowers small and whitish
-
-
Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves large, alternate, simple, round in outline but deeply and palmately 6-11 lobed
-
-
Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Red-purplish stems
-
-
Landscape:
- Problems:
- Poisonous to Humans
- Problem for Cats
- Problem for Children
- Problem for Dogs
- Problem for Horses
-
-
Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- High
- Poison Symptoms:
- Immediate or delayed nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, weakness, colic, depression, loss of appetite, trembling, sweating, loss of coordination, difficulty breathing, sweating, progressive central nervous system depression and fever, convulsions, coma; may be fatal; severe allergic reaction in certain individuals following skin contact with broken seeds. May also be fatal to livestock and pets.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Ricin, a phytotoxalbumin, plus ricinine, an alkaloid
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Leaves
- Seeds
