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Ricinus communis

(Caster Oil Plant, Castor Bean, Castor Oil Plant, Castorbean, Higuera Infernal, Krapata, Mole Bean, Palma Christi, Ricin, Wonder Tree)

Overview:

Shrub or tree, probably from Africa, now found in all warm countries; probably introduced into Hawaii in the early 1800's. Now naturalized. The seeds are used as a source of castor oil, but also contain a violent poison that can be fatal in very small doses. This very poisonous plant which provides castor oil is naturalized in Hawaii. Notice the female flowers in the upper part of the inflorescence and the male flowers below. Petals are absent and the calyx is caducous. The tiny stamens are very numerous, up to 1,000 per staminate flower.

Conservation Status

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Population Analysis

  • For the 835,580 species in the Class Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons), we average 4.30 observations each in our database; for the Caster Oil Plant, we have 592 observations. Compared to other species in this Class, this species is extremely common.
  • A two-sample t-test can be used to determine whether the trend in observations of the Caster Oil Plant is the same as the trend in observations of Magnoliopsida. Is this species just as common, as a proportion of all observations, as it once was? The answer is no, changes in observation rate of this species significantly differ from changes in observation rate of its Class. (t=1.831, p<0.05)
  • How do observation rates of the Caster Oil Plant differ from those of Magnoliopsida? To answer this, we examined the percentage of observerations for Magnoliopsida that were observations of the Caster Oil Plant each year. We then correlated this percentage with observation year. If observations of the Caster Oil Plant are becoming more common relative to other species of Magnoliopsida, the correlation should be positive, but if it is becoming less common, the correlation should be negative. In fact, the correlation is positive (r=.05), with a positive slope (m = 5.625), suggesting that the Caster Oil Plant may be increasing relative to other species of Magnoliopsida. This correlation is statistically significant. (F = 85.88, p<.05)
  • The scatter chart to the right shows the percentage of all observations for Magnoliopsida each year that were observations of the Caster Oil Plant.

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms:

  1. Cataputia major Ludw.
  2. Cataputia minor Ludw.
  3. Croton spinosus L.
  4. Ricinus africanus Mill.
  5. Ricinus angulatus Thunb.
  6. Ricinus armatus Andr.
  7. Ricinus atropurpureus Pax & K.Hoffm.
  8. Ricinus badius Rchb.
  9. Ricinus borboniensis Pax & K.Hoffm.
  10. Ricinus cambodgensis Benary
  11. Ricinus communis var. aegyptiaceus (Popova) Moshkin
  12. Ricinus communis var. africanus Müll.Arg.
  13. Ricinus communis var. almeidae T.Carvalho
  14. Ricinus communis var. amblyocalyx Müll.Arg.
  15. Ricinus communis var. americanus (Müll.Arg.) T.Carvalho
  16. Ricinus communis forma americanus Müll.Arg.
  17. Ricinus communis var. americanus Müll.Arg.
  18. Ricinus communis forma argentatus T.Carvalho
  19. Ricinus communis forma argyratus T.Carvalho
  20. Ricinus communis var. armatus (Andr.) Müll.Arg.
  21. Ricinus communis forma atratus T.Carvalho
  22. Ricinus communis forma atrobrunneatus T.Carvalho
  23. Ricinus communis forma atrofulvatus T.Carvalho
  24. Ricinus communis forma atrofuscatus T.Carvalho
  25. Ricinus communis forma atrophoeniceus T.Carvalho
  26. Ricinus communis forma atropunicatus T.Carvalho
  27. Ricinus communis forma atropurpureatus T.Carvalho
  28. Ricinus communis forma avellanatus T.Carvalho
  29. Ricinus communis var. badius (Rchb.) Müll.Arg.
  30. Ricinus communis var. bailundensis Coult.
  31. Ricinus communis var. benguelensis Müll.Arg.
  32. Ricinus communis var. blumeanus (Müll.Arg.) T.Carvalho
  33. Ricinus communis forma blumeanus Müll.Arg.
  34. Ricinus communis var. brasiliensis Müll.Arg. ex Pax & K.Hoffm.
  35. Ricinus communis var. brevinodis Moshkin
  36. Ricinus communis var. caesius Popova
  37. Ricinus communis forma canatus T.Carvalho
  38. Ricinus communis forma canescens T.Carvalho
  39. Ricinus communis forma carneatus T.Carvalho
  40. Ricinus communis forma cervatus T.Carvalho
  41. Ricinus communis forma cinerascens T.Carvalho
  42. Ricinus communis forma cinereatus T.Carvalho
  43. Ricinus communis forma denudatus Müll.Arg.
  44. Ricinus communis forma epiglaucus Müll.Arg.
  45. Ricinus communis var. epruinosus T.Carvalho
  46. Ricinus communis var. erythrocladus (Müll.Arg.) T.Carvalho
  47. Ricinus communis forma erythrocladus Müll.Arg.
  48. Ricinus communis forma exiguus T.Carvalho
  49. Ricinus communis forma fulvatus T.Carvalho
  50. Ricinus communis forma fumatus T.Carvalho
  51. Ricinus communis forma fuscatus T.Carvalho
  52. Ricinus communis var. genuinus Müll.Arg.
  53. Ricinus communis forma gilvus T.Carvalho
  54. Ricinus communis var. glauceus T.Carvalho
  55. Ricinus communis forma glaucus (Hoffmanns.) Müll.Arg.
  56. Ricinus communis var. glaucus Popova & Moshkin
  57. Ricinus communis var. gracilis (Müll.Arg.) T.Carvalho
  58. Ricinus communis forma gracilis Müll.Arg.
  59. Ricinus communis var. griseofolius Moshkin
  60. Ricinus communis var. griseus T.Carvalho
  61. Ricinus communis forma guttatus T.Carvalho
  62. Ricinus communis forma hybridus (Besser) Müll.Arg.
  63. Ricinus communis var. hybridus (Besser) Müll.Arg.
  64. Ricinus communis forma incarnatus T.Carvalho
  65. Ricinus communis var. indehiscens Moshkin
  66. Ricinus communis subsp. indicus Popova & Moshkin
  67. Ricinus communis forma inermis (Mill.) Müll.Arg.
  68. Ricinus communis var. inermis (Mill.) Pax & K.Hoffm.
  69. Ricinus communis forma intermedius Müll.Arg.
  70. Ricinus communis var. japonicus Popova & Moshkin
  71. Ricinus communis forma laevis (DC.) Müll.Arg.
  72. Ricinus communis var. leucocarpus (Bertol.) Müll.Arg.
  73. Ricinus communis var. lividus (Jacq.) Müll.Arg.
  74. Ricinus communis var. macrocarpus T.Carvalho
  75. Ricinus communis var. macrophyllus (Müll.Arg.) T.Carvalho
  76. Ricinus communis forma macrophyllus Müll.Arg.
  77. Ricinus communis var. macrophyllus Müll.Arg.
  78. Ricinus communis forma maculatus T.Carvalho
  79. Ricinus communis subsp. manshuricus V.Bork.
  80. Ricinus communis forma marmoreatus T.Carvalho
  81. Ricinus communis var. megalospermus (Delile) Müll.Arg.
  82. Ricinus communis var. mexicanus (Popova) Moshkin
  83. Ricinus communis subsp. mexicanus Popova
  84. Ricinus communis var. microcarpus Müll.Arg.
  85. Ricinus communis var. microspermus Moshkin
  86. Ricinus communis var. minor Steud.
  87. Ricinus communis forma murinatus T.Carvalho
  88. Ricinus communis var. nanus Moshkin
  89. Ricinus communis forma nigellus T.Carvalho
  90. Ricinus communis forma nigrescens T.Carvalho
  91. Ricinus communis forma niveatus T.Carvalho
  92. Ricinus communis forma oblongus T.Carvalho
  93. Ricinus communis forma obscurus T.Carvalho
  94. Ricinus communis forma oligacanthus Müll.Arg.
  95. Ricinus communis forma ostrinatus T.Carvalho
  96. Ricinus communis forma pardalinus T.Carvalho
  97. Ricinus communis subsp. persicus Popova
  98. Ricinus communis persicus Popova
  99. Ricinus communis forma picturatus T.Carvalho
  100. Ricinus communis forma plumbeatus T.Carvalho
  101. Ricinus communis var. pruinosus (Müll.Arg.) T.Carvalho
  102. Ricinus communis forma pruinosus Müll.Arg.
  103. Ricinus communis forma pullatus T.Carvalho
  104. Ricinus communis forma punctatus T.Carvalho
  105. Ricinus communis forma punctulatus T.Carvalho
  106. Ricinus communis forma punicans T.Carvalho
  107. Ricinus communis var. purpurascens (Bertol.) Müll.Arg.
  108. Ricinus communis forma purpurascens (Bertol.) Pax
  109. Ricinus communis var. purpurascens (Bertol.) T.Carvalho
  110. Ricinus communis forma radiatus T.Carvalho
  111. Ricinus communis var. reichenbachianus Müll.Arg.
  112. Ricinus communis var. rheedianus Müll.Arg.
  113. Ricinus communis var. roseus Popova & Moshkin
  114. Ricinus communis var. roseus T.Carvalho
  115. Ricinus communis subsp. ruderalis Popova & Moshkin
  116. Ricinus communis forma rufescens T.Carvalho
  117. Ricinus communis var. rugosus Müll.Arg.
  118. Ricinus communis forma russatus T.Carvalho
  119. Ricinus communis var. rutilans (Müll.Arg.) T.Carvalho
  120. Ricinus communis forma rutilans Müll.Arg.
  121. Ricinus communis var. sanguineus Baill.
  122. Ricinus communis subsp. sanguineus Popova
  123. Ricinus communis forma scaber (Bertol. ex Moris) Müll.Arg.
  124. Ricinus communis forma scriptus T.Carvalho
  125. Ricinus communis subsp. sinensis Hiltebr.
  126. Ricinus communis subsp. sinensis Popova & Moshkin
  127. Ricinus communis forma sordidus T.Carvalho
  128. Ricinus communis var. speciosus (Burm.f.) Müll.Arg.
  129. Ricinus communis var. spontaneus Popova & Moshkin
  130. Ricinus communis forma stigmosus T.Carvalho
  131. Ricinus communis forma striatus T.Carvalho
  132. Ricinus communis forma subpurpurascens Müll.Arg.
  133. Ricinus communis var. subpurpurascens Müll.Arg.
  134. Ricinus communis forma subrotundus T.Carvalho
  135. Ricinus communis var. subviridus (Müll.Arg.) T.Carvalho
  136. Ricinus communis forma subviridus Müll.Arg.
  137. Ricinus communis forma sulcatus T.Carvalho
  138. Ricinus communis forma tigrinus T.Carvalho
  139. Ricinus communis var. typicus Fiori
  140. Ricinus communis forma umbrinus T.Carvalho
  141. Ricinus communis var. undulatus (Besser) Müll.Arg.
  142. Ricinus communis var. vasconcellosii T.Carvalho
  143. Ricinus communis forma venosus T.Carvalho
  144. Ricinus communis forma vinatus T.Carvalho
  145. Ricinus communis var. violaceocaulis Moshkin
  146. Ricinus communis var. violaceus T.Carvalho
  147. Ricinus communis var. violeus T.Carvalho
  148. Ricinus communis var. virens Popova
  149. Ricinus communis forma viridis (Willd.) Müll.Arg.
  150. Ricinus communis var. viridis Popova & Moshkin
  151. Ricinus communis var. viridus (Willd.) T.Carvalho
  152. Ricinus communis subsp. zanzibarinus Popova
  153. Ricinus communis forma zebrinus T.Carvalho
  154. Ricinus communis forma zollingeri Müll.Arg.
  155. Ricinus communis forma zonatus T.Carvalho
  156. Ricinus compactus Huber
  157. Ricinus digitatus Noronha
  158. Ricinus europaeus T.Nees
  159. Ricinus gibsonii auct.
  160. Ricinus giganteus Pax & K.Hoffm.
  161. Ricinus glaucus Hoffmanns.
  162. Ricinus hybridus Besser
  163. Ricinus inermis Mill.
  164. Ricinus japonicus Thunb.
  165. Ricinus krappa Steud.
  166. Ricinus laevis DC.
  167. Ricinus leucocarpus Bertol.
  168. Ricinus lividus Jacq.
  169. Ricinus macrocarpus Popova
  170. Ricinus macrocarpus indicus Popova
  171. Ricinus macrocarpus japonicus Popova
  172. Ricinus macrocarpus var. nudus Popova
  173. Ricinus macrocarpus sanguineus Popova
  174. Ricinus macrophyllus Bertol.
  175. Ricinus medicus Forssk.
  176. Ricinus medius J.F.Gmel.
  177. Ricinus megalosperma Delile
  178. Ricinus messeniacus Heldr.
  179. Ricinus metallicus Pax & K.Hoffm.
  180. Ricinus microcarpus Popova
  181. Ricinus microcarpus aegypticus Popova
  182. Ricinus microcarpus var. atrovirens Popova
  183. Ricinus microcarpus indostanicus Popova
  184. Ricinus microcarpus subsp. spontaneus Popova
  185. Ricinus minor Mill.
  186. Ricinus nanus Bald.
  187. Ricinus obermannii Groenl.
  188. Ricinus peltatus Noronha
  189. Ricinus perennis Steud.
  190. Ricinus persicus Popova
  191. Ricinus purpurascens Bertol.
  192. Ricinus ruber Miq.
  193. Ricinus rugosus Mill.
  194. Ricinus rutilans Müll.Arg.
  195. Ricinus sanguineus Groenl.
  196. Ricinus scaber Bertol. ex Moris
  197. Ricinus speciosus Burm.f.
  198. Ricinus spectabilis Blume
  199. Ricinus tunisensis Desf.
  200. Ricinus undulatus Besser
  201. Ricinus urens Mill.
  202. Ricinus viridis Willd.
  203. Ricinus vulgaris Garsault
  204. Ricinus vulgaris Mill.
  205. Ricinus zanzibarensis auct.
  206. Ricinus zanzibarinus Popova

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Govaerts R., 11-Nov-2003

Place of publication: Sp. pl. 2:1007. 1753

Name verified on 14-May-1992 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 29-Sep-1994

Physical Description

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Habit: Tree, Shrub, Subshrub

Flowers: Bloom Period: July, August. • Flower Color: red

Images:

Distribution

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Range and Population

NE. Trop. Africa, cultivated and naturalised elsewere

Native: Probable Origin.

Reproduction

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Duration: Annual, Perennial

Growth

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Culture: Space 36-48" apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.1 • Maximum pH: 7.5

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun.

Moisture: Drought Tolerance: High

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Ricinus:

There are approximately 67 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus: R. clayae · R. communis (Caster Oil Plant) · R. communis 'Apache' · R. communis 'Cambegensis' · R. communis 'Cambodgensis' · R. communis 'Carmencita Bright Red' · R. communis 'Carmencita Pink' (Pink Castor Bean) · R. communis 'Carmencita Red' · R. communis 'Carmencita' (Red Castor Bean) · R. communis 'Gibsonii' (Castor Bean Plant) · R. communis 'Impala' (Caster Oil Plant) · R. communis 'New Zealand Purple' (Purple Castor Bean) · R. communis 'Niger' · R. communis 'Raven' · R. communis 'Sanguineus' · R. communis 'Zanzi Palm' · R. communis 'Zanzibarensis' (Caster Oil Plant) · R. communis 'Zanzibariensis' · R. communis L. 'Sanguinea' · R. communis libsonii · R. communis medins · R. communis mexicanus · R. communis minor · R. communis mixed · R. communis ruderalis · R. communis var. aegyptiacus · R. comunis · R. dolichocephalus · R. elongatus · R. elongatus elongatus · R. elongatus ernstlangi · R. elongatus intermedius · R. elongatus mystax · R. emersoni · R. frenatus · R. fringillae · R. fringillae flammeae · R. fringillae fringillae · R. fringillae irascens · R. fringillae subpallidus · R. furfuraceus · R. gibbum-impala · R. gibbus · R. indicus · R. japonicus rheinwaldi · R. major · R. mollisoni · R. morifolius · R. mugimaki · R. obermanni · R. odoratus · R. palma · R. paniculatus · R. parvus · R. pulchellus · R. rubeculae · R. rubeculae phoenicuri · R. rubeculae rubeculae · R. sangvineus · R. serratus · R. serratus magnus · R. serratus serratus · R. sorus · R. spspsp · R. thoracius · R. tragus · R. vireoensis

Bibliography

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  • Burkill, H. M. 1985–2004. The useful plants of west tropical Africa. (Use Pl WT Afr)
  • Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs. (CRC MedHerbs ed2)
  • Govaerts, R. et al. 2000. World checklist and bibliography of Euphorbiaceae. (L Euphorb)
  • Henderson, L. 2001. Alien weeds and invasive plants: a complete guide to declared weeds and invaders in South Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Handbook 12. (Weeds SAfr 2001)
  • Johnson, J. M.-F. et al. 2007. Biomass-bioenergy crops in the United States: A changing paradigm. Amer. J. Pl. Sci. Biotechnol. 1:8.
  • Kala, C. P. et al. 2004. Prioritization of medicinal plants on the basis of available knowledge, existing practices and use value status in Uttaranchal, India. Biodivers. & Conserv. 13:459.
  • Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2. (Ency CNatIn)
  • Malezasdemexico. Malezas de México - on-line resource. (Malezas Mex)
  • Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2. (Food Feed Crops US)
  • McGuffin, M. et al., eds. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. (Herbs Commerce ed2)
  • Munro, D. B. Canadian poisonous plants information system - on-line resource. (Can Poison Pl)
  • Parsons, W. T. & E. G. Cuthbertson. 1992. Noxious weeds of Australia. (Noxweed Aust)
  • Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants. (Dict Rehm)
  • Saldanha, C. J. & D. H. Nicolson. 1976. Flora of Hassan district. (F Hassan)
  • Soukup, J. 1970. Vocabulario de los nombres vulgares de la flora peruana. (Names Soukup) 292.
  • Weber, E. 2003. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds. (Invasive Pl Spec)
  • Westphal, E. & P. C. M. Jansen, eds. 1989. A selection. Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). (Pl Res SEAs) A:237.

More Info

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Notes

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Contributors:

  • Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
  • Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 6, 2006.
  • Cerambycidae database 2006.
  • Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed December 24, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.
  • USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (April 30, 2008)
  • World Checklist of Selected Plant FamiliesFeb 2, 2006.

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 14, 2007:

Identifiers:

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Last Revised: May 18, 2008