Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Malpighiales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Ricinus communis
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Read more about Castor-bean at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
The seeds are dangerously poisonous, formerly the source of an oil used as a purgative and machine lubricant. Read more in Weakley's Flora (2023).
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Ricinus communis
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Ricinus communis
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 12 (2016)
Ricinus communis
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Ricinus communis
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 107-05-001:
Ricinus communis FAMILY Euphorbiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Ricinus communis
COMMON NAME:
Castor-bean, Castor-oil Plant, Palma Christi
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_rico3_001_lvd
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Ricinus communis
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Ricinus communis
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Ricinus communis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 12
Ricinus communis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Ricinus communis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 107-05-001:
Ricinus communis
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Ricinus communis
1249
Shrub; Tree
Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: Waste places, gardens, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: northeast Africa
Uncommon in Coastal Plain & NC Piedmont (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
DOES THE PLANT HAVE "MILKY SAP"?
Does not have milky sap
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
Leaves have petioles.
Stipules caducous
FLOWER:
Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall
5 sepals
Petals absent
Numerous stamens
Unisexual
FRUIT:
Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".