#3370 - Ricinus communis - Castor Oil Plant
Named after the Latin for tick, owing to the appearance of the seeds. The common name "castor bean" probably comes from its use as a replacement for castoreum, a perfume base derived from the dried perineal glands of the beaver (castor in Latin). It's not a bean. Another common name, palm of Christ, derives from castor oil's reputed ability to heal wounds and cure ailments. But see below.
A spurge native to the SE Mediterranean Basin, Eastern Africa, and India, but now a widespread weed in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide, usually in disturbed areas.
Quite variable in size and colour, sometimes reaching 12m in height, and sometimes reddish-purple or bronze in colour. Some of that variation is due to selective breeding. Some cultivars are grown as ornamentals, but others are used for oil production. The oil has supposed medical applications, but the seeds are so poisonous that three or four are sufficient to kill an adult human. All parts of the plant are highly allergenic.
The seeds are formed with a fatty growth on one end, so they will be collected by ants, dragged to their nests, and dumped in the fertile soil of the ant's garbage heap after they're eaten the bait.
Perth, various locations. such as this garage.
