Ricinus communis L.

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Varying from ephemeral less than 1 m high to tree-like herb 5(–10) m high with trunk to 15 cm thick

Morphology Stem

Stems hollow; young shoots often pruinose, purplish

Morphology Leaves

Petioles (4–)10–30 cm; leaf-blade up to 1 m across, (5–)7–9(–12)-lobed, usually divided more than halfway, middle lobe 7–30(–75) x 2–8(–20) cm, tip acuminate, glandular-serrate, lateral lobes progressively smaller; stipule sheath 1.3–2.7 cm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Raceme 10–30 cm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Male flowers: pedicels 5–17 mm; calyx-lobes 5–8 x (2–)3–5 mm, acute; stamens 7–8 mm long Female flowers: pedicels to 2–4.5 cm in fruit; sepals lanceolate, 5 mm long, acuminate; styles 2–5 mm long, usually red

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit 10–18 x 10–15 mm, usually with softly spiny processes 3–5 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 7–12 x 5–8 x 4–6 mm, shiny silvery grey or beige marked with brown; caruncle 1–2 x 2–3 mm.

Distribution

Probably in all regions pantropical.

Vernacular

Balambal, bor (Somali), castor oil plant (English).

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution

Cultivada y naturalizada en Colombia; Alt. 50 - 2650 m.; Andes, Islas Caribeñas, Llanura del Caribe, Pacífico, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Valle del Magdalena.

Morphology General Habit

Arbusto, arbolito

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular

castor, higuereta, higuereto, higuerilla, higuerillo, higuerillo blanco, higuerillo rojo, palmacristi, popo, rejalgar, ricino, tártago, tirraya

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Distribution

Cultivated and naturalised in Colombia.

Ecology

Alt. 50 - 2650 m.

Morphology General Habit

Shrub.

Vernacular

Jieratapi, palmachristis, cawapat, carapate, masketi, palma kristi.

Euphorbiaceae, A. R.-Smith. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1987

Morphology General Habit

An erect, single-stemmed but often much-branched bushy or tree-like glabrous, ± glaucous annual or perennial herb commonly up to 5 m., but occasionally attaining 10 m.

Morphology Stem

Stems up to 12 cm. in diameter at the base, hollow, herbaceous but often becoming woody, pale bluish-green or reddish tinged.

Morphology General Shoots

Young shoots often pruinose and purplish tinged.

Morphology Leaves

Petioles (4–)10–30 cm. long, usually smooth, rarely sparingly beset with small cylindrical papillae; petiolar glands discoid to turbinate, dark green; blades up to 1 m. across, (5–)7–9(–12)-lobed, usually more than halfway but occasionally less, the median lobe usually 7–30 cm. long and 2–8 cm wide, but occasionally up to 75 cm. long and 20 cm. wide, the lateral lobes being proportionately progressively smaller; lobes ovate-lanceolate, lanceolate, oblong or linear-oblong, acutely acuminate, coarsely and sometimes somewhat irregularly glandular-serrate, firmly membranaceous to thinly chartaceous, lateral nerves (15–)20–25 on the median lobe, progressively fewer on the lateral lobes, not prominent above, slightly so beneath, craspedodromous, dark olive-green above, paler beneath, midribs and nerves often reddish beneath.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipular sheath ovate, 1.3–2.7 cm. long, often reddish or purplish, soon cadu-cous, leaving a ± circular scar.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence 10–30 cm. long; bracts lanceolate, ± 1 cm. long, green, reddish tinged; bracteoles smaller than the bracts, but otherwise similar.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Male flowers:pedicels 0.5–1.7 cm. long; calyx-lobes ovate, 5–8 mm. long, (2–)3–5 mm. wide, acute, pale green, often tinged reddish or purplish; stamens 7–8 mm. long, anthers 0.5 mm. long, pale yellow. Female flowers:pedicels 0.5–1 cm. long, extending to 2–4.5 cm. in fruit; sepals narrowly lanceolate, ± 5 mm. long, acutely acuminate, often reddish or purplish tinged; ovary trilobate-subglobose, 2 mm. long and wide; styles 2–5 mm. long, ± one-third bifid to almost completely bipartite, usually red, rarely yellowish.

sex Male

Male flowers:pedicels 0.5–1.7 cm. long; calyx-lobes ovate, 5–8 mm. long, (2–)3–5 mm. wide, acute, pale green, often tinged reddish or purplish; stamens 7–8 mm. long, anthers 0.5 mm. long, pale yellow.

sex Female

Female flowers:pedicels 0.5–1 cm. long, extending to 2–4.5 cm. in fruit; sepals narrowly lanceolate, ± 5 mm. long, acutely acuminate, often reddish or purplish tinged; ovary trilobate-subglobose, 2 mm. long and wide; styles 2–5 mm. long, ± one-third bifid to almost completely bipartite, usually red, rarely yellowish.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit strongly trilobate, 1–1.8 cm. long, 1–1.5 cm. diameter, sparingly, evenly or densely beset with narrowly cylindric fleshy processes 3–5 mm. long, each tipped with a sharp curved bristle, bluish green, often tinged reddish or purplish.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 7–12 mm. long, 5–8 mm. wide, 4–6 mm. deep, smooth, shiny, greyish, silvery or beige, usually variously streaked, mottled and flecked with olive-brown, chestnut or dark greyish brown; caruncle depressed-conic, 1–2 mm. long, 2–3 mm. across.

Habitat

Widely grown and readily naturalized in areas of moderate to good rainfall in frost-free areas; poisonous to stock; the ‘Castor Oil Plant’; sea-level–1900(–2590) m.

Distribution

± throughout tropical and extra-tropical Africa, and cultivated and naturalized ± throughout the warmer parts of the globe K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 P T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6

Euphorbiaceae, A. Radcliffe-Smith. Flora Zambesiaca 9:4. 1996

Morphology General Habit

An erect glabrous pruinose single-stemmed or bushy, tree-like herb up to 7 m high.

Morphology Stem

Stems up to 10 cm thick at base, hollow, becoming ± woody, grey.

Morphology General Shoots

Young shoots often reddish-tinged.

Morphology Leaves Petiole

Petioles 4–30 cm long, or longer; glands discoid or turbinate.

Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina

Leaf blades (5)7–11-lobed, 7–35(100) cm long and wide, with the median lobe 2–8(20) cm wide, and the lateral lobes progressively smaller; lobes ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, acuminate, coarsely glandular-serrate, dark green on upper surface, paler beneath, the nerves yellowish; lateral nerves in 15–25 pairs on the median lobe.

Morphology Leaves Leaf sheaths

Stipular sheath up to 2.7 cm long, ovate, reddish or purplish.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences 10–30 cm long; bracts c. 1 cm long, lanceolate; bracteoles similar, but smaller.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Male flowers: pedicels up to 1.7 cm long; calyx lobes 5–8 × 2–5 mm, ovate, acute, pale green, often purplish-tinged; stamens 7–8 mm long, anthers 0.5 mm long, pale yellow. Female flowers: pedicels 0.5–1 cm long, extending to 4.5 cm in fruit; sepals c. 5 mm long, lanceolate, acuminate, often purplish-tinged; ovary 2 mm long and wide, 3-lobed to subglobose; styles up to 7 mm long.

sex Male

Male flowers: pedicels up to 1.7 cm long; calyx lobes 5–8 × 2–5 mm, ovate, acute, pale green, often purplish-tinged; stamens 7–8 mm long, anthers 0.5 mm long, pale yellow.

sex Female

Female flowers: pedicels 0.5–1 cm long, extending to 4.5 cm in fruit; sepals c. 5 mm long, lanceolate, acuminate, often purplish-tinged; ovary 2 mm long and wide, 3-lobed to subglobose; styles up to 7 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit 1–2.3 cm long and wide, strongly 3-lobed, smooth, or sparingly to densely beset with narrowly-cylindric bristle-tipped processes 3–6 mm long, bluish-green.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 7–21 × 5–15 × 4–8 mm, smooth, usually shiny, grey, silvery-white or beige, usually variously streaked, mottled, flecked or blotched with olive-brown, reddish-brown or brownish-black; caruncle 1–2 × 2–3 mm, depressed-conic.

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Vernacular

CASTOR-OIL PLANT

Morphology General

With characters of the genus

Morphology General Habit

Plants usually 2–5 m tall; leaf-blades 10–100 cm across, the lobes acute and pinnately veined the marginal serrations more or less glandular

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsules 12–21 mm in diameter; seeds ellipsoid, somewhat flattened, variously mottled, mostly 10–20 mm long.

Distribution

Cayman Islands.

Ecology

Roadsides, old fields, and open waste ground.

Use

The oil from the seeds has many recorded medicinal and industrial uses and is produced commercially. The plant itself contains a very dangerous toxin, a few molecules of which are capable of killing any cell into which they are introduced.

Use Environmental Ornamentals

Live plant (in situ) - Ornamental (Florez-Cárdenas et al. 2010).

Use Environmental Boundary Barrier Support Plants

Live plant (in situ) - Used for barriers (Florez-Cárdenas et al. 2010).

Use Environmental Revegetation

Live plant (in situ) - Used for ecological restoration (Florez-Cárdenas et al. 2010).

Use Fuel

Used for fuel for aircraft turbines and brake fluid for cars (Florez-Cárdenas et al. 2010).

Use Materials

Materials (State of the World's Plants 2016).

Use Materials Essential Oils

Used to make soap (Florez-Cárdenas et al. 2010).

Use Materials Lipids (Fats And Oils)

Oil (Toscano-González 2006).

Use Materials Unspecified Materials Chemicals

Materials (State of the World's Plants 2016).

Use Medicines Circulatory System Disorders

Seeds - Seed oil is applied externally in the treatment of hemorrhoids (Florez-Cárdenas et al. 2010).

Use Medicines Digestive System Disorders

Used as a laxative (Florez-Cárdenas et al. 2010).

Use Medicines Sensory System Disorders

Seeds - Used for the eyes (Florez-Cárdenas et al. 2010).

Use Medicines Skin or Subcutaneous Cellular Tissue Disorders

Seeds - Seed oil used in the treatment of skin irritation (Florez-Cárdenas et al. 2010).

Use Medicines Unspecified Medicinal Disorders

Medicinal (State of the World's Plants 2016, Instituto Humboldt 2014).

Use

The seeds yield the castor oil of commerce.