An unpretentious, but very spectacular plant, reminiscent of an outlandish palm tree from the tropics, fell in love with many gardeners in our country. Planted in spring, castor beans quickly stretch to 2-3 m in height by mid-summer, spreading large green-burgundy palmate leaves. And castor bean seeds ripen, enclosed in prickly bright red balls.

Description

Castor bean (Ricinus) is represented by one species and belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. This herbaceous fast-growing plant comes from tropical Africa, where it can reach 5 m or more in height. There, powerful bushes are used as a living fence from wild animals. Castor planted tobacco fields.

The flower got its name for the similarity of its seeds with a tick. The plant has other "folk" names: paradise tree, castor oil, Turkish hemp. Apart from decorative look, castor bean is grown as an industrial crop for producing castor oil. This oil is widely used in the aviation industry, in cosmetology and medicine. The pomace from the seeds left after the production of oil is used as a nitrogen fertilizer.

In our country, industrial castor plantations are located in the Stavropol Territory, the North Caucasus and the Krasnodar Territory, only there the climate is suitable for seed ripening. The world leaders in the cultivation of castor beans are India and China.

The plant, in its hot homeland, grows as a perennial, in our climate only one season is grown. In the middle lane, castor seeds do not ripen. The flower forms powerful herbaceous bushes, up to 3 m high. The castor bean stem is strong, naked and shiny, has a burgundy or reddish tint. The leaves are large, on long petioles, reminiscent of chestnut leaves, arranged alternately on the stem.

Flowering occurs in August, small flowers bloom at the top of the flower, collected in a carpal inflorescence. The fruits of the flower are in large bright red or burgundy balls covered with thorns. Clusters of red "cones" hang from the top of the flower, enhancing the unusual appearance plants.

Varieties

The breeders did a good job with the plant, and on the basis of one type of castor bean, they bred many interesting varieties.

According to the presented photos of the plant, you can appreciate the beauty and unusual appearance of the castor bean.

Growing conditions

As a resident of a hot climate, castor beans do not tolerate frost at all. It is planted in central Russia with seedlings, in late May - early June.

The plant loves sunny, draft-protected areas. Usually a flower is placed near buildings or fences, where the plant is warm and comfortable.

Attention! The plant is poisonous! All parts of the plant are dangerous: seeds, flowers, stems and leaves. Therefore, the plant can not be planted near playgrounds and recreational areas. Ingestion of castor oil into the body causes nausea, vomiting, severe cases(when using a large number seeds) - death is possible.

The soil

The castor bean soil prefers a neutral reaction, sufficiently moist, rich in humus. Poor soils are fertilized with rotted manure, adding up to 10-12 kg per 1 sq. meter for digging. In addition to organics, wood ash is scattered on the site (up to 250 g per square meter) and a full complex of mineral fertilizer for flowers in a dosage, according to the instructions.

Areas with excess moisture clay soil correct by adding sand, up to 12 kg per square area. A small layer of expanded clay or crushed stone is poured at the bottom of the planting holes as drainage. You can arrange mounds of fertile light earth, where you can plant plants.

Care

Planted in well-fertilized soil, castor beans do not need additional feeding. All care for an adult plant consists in regular and abundant watering. In hot weather, it is recommended to water the castor beans once every 3 days, pouring at least a bucket of sun-warmed water under each bush.

The soil under young, just planted plants should be regularly loosened and kept clean from weeds. The surface of the earth can be mulched with a layer of cut grass, tree bark or peat, humus. Mulch prevents evaporation of moisture from the soil surface and prevents weeds from germinating. To obtain the desired effect, the cover layer must be at least 10 cm.

A tall plant, although it has a powerful root system, needs support. A strong stake is installed immediately, when planting castor seedlings. Later, the foliage will completely hide the support, and it will not affect the decorativeness of the plant.

Pests, diseases

Castor oil is practically not affected by diseases in our latitude. In a cold and very humid summer, a flower can get late blight, bacteriosis, and various rots. At the first sign of the disease, the plant is treated with a Bordeaux mixture or other fungicide. With a strong infection, the plant is pulled out of the soil and destroyed. The earth at the site of growth of a diseased plant is shed with a hot raspberry solution of potassium permanganate or phytosporin.

Of the pests of castor oil, wireworms, scoop caterpillars, and meadow bugs can annoy. It will get rid of harmful insects on the plant, spraying the flower garden with a three-day infusion of bitter wormwood grass will help (a third of a bucket of chopped grass is poured hot water and infused) or garlic (a glass of chopped cloves in a bucket of water). Spicy herbs planted at the foot of the castor bean (parsley, mint, dill, coriander) will scare away annoying harmful insects with its aroma.

reproduction

Castor beans are planted only by seeds. In the southern regions, you can sow flower seeds immediately into the ground, in May. In the middle lane and the Moscow region, flower seedlings are prepared in mid-March.

Castor seeds are large, with a very dense shell. In nature, seeds are pecked by birds, after passing through the animal's digestive tract, where the seeds are exposed to hydrochloric acid, they germinate easily and quickly. To facilitate seed germination at home, it is necessary to break the integrity of the seed coat. To do this, the seed is wiped with sandpaper or filed a little with a file, after which it is soaked for a day in warm water. Epine or heteroauxin can be dropped into the water.

Soil for castor seedlings is bought ready-made in the store or prepared from a mixture of peat, humus and sand (vermiculite). Castor oil is planted one seed at a time in separate glasses, with a volume of at least 0.5 liters (preferably 1 liter). Can be used peat pots. The plant does not tolerate damage to the roots, so picking is not carried out. IN open ground castor beans are planted very carefully, transferring the bush from the pot without destroying the earthen clod.

The prepared castor bean seed is lowered into the soil to a depth of 2-4 cm, and the pots are removed in a warm place. Shoots, at a temperature of + 20 degrees, should appear within a week. It often happens that the seed peel does not fly off the castor bean cotyledons, then it must be removed with tweezers, otherwise the seedling leaves may rot.
To prevent seedlings from stretching, pots with seedlings are placed on the lightest window sill with an air temperature of +15 +17 degrees.

Water the seedlings only with warm water, strictly under the root, avoiding moisture stagnation in the pan.

Castor beans are planted outdoors when the threat of frost has completely passed. The plant is transferred into a hole without destroying the earthy coma. If the castor beans were grown in peat pot, the bush is buried directly in the pot, not forgetting to shed the soil abundantly. Thin peat walls in the soil will quickly get wet, and will not become an obstacle to the roots of the plant. Between the castor bushes leave gaps of 70 - 150 cm, depending on the size of an adult plant.

Partners

The large, brightly colored palm-like plants are beautiful in their own right and give the site a tropical African forest vibe. Most often, castor beans are planted in single plantings or small groups of 2-3 plants, on lawns. It is not combined with other decorative large-sized ones.

Often placed one or two specimens of a flower at the entrance to the house or at the gate, gazebo. With help large plant you can close the unsightly wall of the building from view or cover the compost heap, use it as hedge for zoning the site.

At the foot of the castor beans are planted undersized plants and flowers, with lush foliage that matches in color with reddish castor beans. It can be undersized, large-flowered, phlox.

See also video

Castor bean is a plant from the Euphorbiaceae family. The Latin name of the genus Rícinus (ricinus) is translated as "tick". The name comes from the fact that castor bean seeds are similar in shape to ticks. Ricinus is an oilseed, medicinal and ornamental crop known since ancient times. Its seeds are found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs buried between 3 and 6 centuries BC. Even Pliny described the castor bean and its properties. In northeast Africa, thickets of wild castor have survived to this day.

Show all

Varieties

The genus includes a single species - the castor bean. There are varieties that differ in color and size of leaves:

• K. zanzibar.
• K. Gibson.
• K. Cambodian.

K. Zanazibar



C. Gibson



K. cambogia

Castor beans have many informal names. One of them - "castor tree" - she received because of the high content of vegetable fat in the seeds (up to 60%). Castor oil is used in medicine and in various industries. Everyone knows castor oil - a popular cosmetic and laxative.

Another name - "northern palm" - castor beans received because of the shape of the leaf plates and habitus. Externally, the plant is very similar to a young tree from the Palm family. Summer residents sometimes call ricinus "paradise tree", "Turkish hemp", "castor oil".



Description

Castor oil - perennial evergreen shrub, reaching a height of 10 m in its homeland. In regions with a temperate climate, the plant is grown as an annual. During the warm season, it manages to reach a height of 2-3 m.

Any description of the castor bean begins with the leaves, as this part of the plant looks the most exotic and attracts the most attention. The leaves are large, if not huge, green, divided into five to seven lobes. The plates are located on long hollow petioles.

The inconspicuous flowers of the castor do not represent a special decorative value. They appear late - in August. The flowers are collected in long racemose inflorescences. The color depends on the variety - it can be white or different shades of pink and red. Flowers are quickly replaced by decorative fruits that look like prickly hedgehogs. Under the red skin of the fruit, 2-3 seeds are hidden. Castor bean seeds are large, oval, similar to beans or large variegated beans.



Castor Bean Danger

Because of attractive appearance castor seeds children love to play with them. In most cases, parents do not even suspect that the child’s hands are not ordinary seeds, but a deadly poison.

Like all spurges, castor beans are poisonous. The poison is contained in all parts, but the seeds are the most dangerous.

They are high in the protein ricin, which is a powerful plant toxin. The lethal dose for a child is 6 castor seeds, for an adult - 20.

Ricin irreversibly destroys proteins, disrupts the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract. In a poisoned person, gastric bleeding, vomiting, intestinal colic begin, and the water balance is disturbed. Without medical care death in a week. Inhalation of ricin powder is also deadly, but the lungs will be irreversibly damaged.

There is no antidote for ricin. The victim is induced to vomit or the stomach is washed repeatedly, an enema is performed. The poisoned person needs blood transfusion, narcotic pain medication, kidney support, and other symptomatic and supportive therapy. Unfortunately, even if the person survives, the affected organs will not be able to recover.

Castor oil causes a lot of controversy. Outwardly beautiful, she is deadly. Many carelessly cultivate this plant in front gardens and dachas, unaware of its toxicity. At the same time, for residents of the middle lane and the north, castor oil is the only way to decorate your site with a “palm tree”. Whether or not to grow this plant, everyone must decide on their own based on their conditions.



Varieties

In Russia, the only variety of ornamental castor beans recommended for cultivation is Ruby Constellation. The plant belongs to the variety type Kleshchevina Zanzibar, reaches a height of 150 cm. The diameter of the stem is 8 cm. The stem is erect, the leaves are sprawling, the leafiness of the stem is medium. The leaves are green when young, then turn red. The size of the plates is 25 x 20 cm. On one plant, 5-6 inflorescences-brushes 25 x 10 cm in size are formed. In the lower part of the inflorescence there are male flowers - white and small. The female ones are collected at the top of the inflorescence and are red balls without aroma.

From sowing to the beginning of flowering, 90-95 days pass. The variety blooms for a long time (45-50 days), resistant to diseases. The ruby ​​constellation is planted in group and single plantings, on lawns, in combination with others. flower plants. For economic purposes, early and early ripening varieties with short flowering and fast seed maturation are grown.

Table. Technical varieties of castor beans

Landing and care

Castor bean is unpretentious, but it has certain preferences. The plant grows faster and acquires the greatest decorative effect in sunny places. Like any plant in the tropics, castor bean is extremely thermophilic and dies at the slightest frost.

Ricinus is grown in areas with a deep fertile layer. The earth should be nutritious, loose, preferably black soil. In dry weather, the plant needs regular watering. Moisture is especially important during the period from the beginning of flowering to the formation of seeds.

"Northern Palm" loves nitrogen fertilizing. After watering with a solution of urea, it grows faster and looks more magnificent.

Castor oil is propagated by seeds, which are sown in early April. Seedlings sown at this time do not outgrow, develop well. Seedlings are transferred to the garden at the end of May, when the threat of return frosts has passed. The seedling method allows you to grow castor beans in the middle lane with a full vegetation cycle, that is, plants have time not only to form decorative leaves, but also to produce seeds with high germination.

Planting seeds in open ground begins in the second half of May. Place 2-3 seeds in each hole. With the threat of frost, emerging seedlings will have to be covered.

When growing castor beans from seeds, it is better to use scarification. Seeds are lightly rubbed with sandpaper before being lowered into the soil. Castor seeds are difficult to germinate, they do not germinate for a long time. It is considered normal when 50% rises seed. Scarification sharply accelerates the emergence of seedlings.

Seeds are best planted individually - one in each pot. Seedlings develop quickly, so they can only be grown in large containers. Plastic or clay pots with a height of 10 cm and a diameter of at least 7 cm are suitable. good care seedlings appear behind the crops on the second or third day.

On the cotyledon leaves that have looked out of the soil, a peel remains. It must be removed so that the sprouts do not rot. To make the operation less traumatic and not damage the delicate cotyledon leaves, the peel is sprayed with water from a spray bottle before removal.

Castor bean seedlings develop not just quickly, but rapidly. Seedlings are prone to elongation, so when the first true leaf appears, it is better to transfer young plants to a bright and cool place to slow down growth.

Already a month after planting seedlings in a flower bed, the height of the "palms" can reach 1 meter.

Diseases and pests

Castor beans are easy to grow and require little or no protection from pests. The only weak point of the “northern palm tree” is the love of moisture. The soil under the plant should always be slightly moist. Up to 10 liters of water are poured under each garden palm tree.

The plant is annoyed:

• wireworms;
• scoop caterpillars;
• caterpillars of the meadow moth.

Caterpillars and wireworms in spring damage seeds sown in the ground and seedlings. You can get rid of adversity by growing seedlings at home.

Castor bean pods are damaged by meadow bugs. Pests are disposed of manually or plants are sprayed with bitter wormwood tincture:

• a liter of crushed wormwood is lowered into 3 liters of water;
• insist 3 days;
• filter and spray plants.

Seeds are collected from the most beautiful and tall specimens. In early September, the seed pods are cut and laid out to dry under sheds. Boxes take a long time to dry. Seeds can only be extracted in December. Each box contains 2-3 large seeds. Before collecting boxes and isolating seeds from them, gloves must be worn, as the thorns are poisonous.

Seeds are stored under lock and key in a place inaccessible to children and animals. They are suitable for planting for 4 years.

The poisonous castor bean plant brings a subtropical flavor to the garden, making it look like a chic jungle. For landscaping purposes, it is not necessary to plant a plantation - two or three plants collected in a composition are enough.

Having once seen strange plants resembling palm trees, with large, chic, a bit like maple leaves, I could no longer forget them and by all means decided to plant them on my garden plot. Kleshchevina, namely the name of the exotic "palm trees" that I liked, is a powerful, high ornamental plant with large palmately lobed leaves.

By planting castor beans, I brought a special flavor of the subtropics to my garden, making it look like chic southern gardens. Moreover, for this I did not need to plant a castor bean plantation, three plants were more than enough, which grew in just a month to a height of one and a half meters and created a very effective “palm” composition.

The Russian name of the plant, "castor oil", comes from the Latin ricinus, translated as "tick", and this is due to the fact that the seeds of the plant are very similar in shape to the eastern tick. As it turned out, it has castor oil in Russia and many other popular names, it is also called "castor oil", "paradise tree", "Turkish hemp".

The homeland of the castor bean is Africa, where it grows as a perennial. It is not known for certain how many centuries ago people first discovered castor bean plants, but its seeds were found by archaeologists during the study of the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs.
Cultivation of castor beans

In particular favorable conditions perennial castor can reach up to 10 m in height. In our own latitudes - middle lane- the plant is cultivated exclusively as a heat-loving annual and grows up to 3 m in length.

Castor oil is a fairly unpretentious plant, but it is best grown in sunny areas. When growing castor beans, keep in mind that the plant is very thermophilic and absolutely does not tolerate frost, as well as a long cold snap, so it is not worth sowing castor bean seeds in open ground before the second half of May.

Castor oil prefers to grow in areas with nutritious (chernozem), loose, deeply cultivated soil, with sufficient moisture.

The castor bean reproduces exclusively by seeds, ripening several pieces in fruits, similar to spherical boxes, completely covered with thorns.

You can sow castor seeds for seedlings from late March to mid-June, but I do this in mid-April. Seedlings sown at this time are developing rapidly, do not stretch and do not outgrow. In addition, according to my personal observations, only when sowing in April, castor bean seedlings have time to develop in a season into a large and powerful plant, on which full-fledged seeds are formed and, most importantly, ripen.

Castor seeds do not germinate for a long time, and out of ten sown, as practice has shown, only 6-7 pieces germinate at best, keep this in mind before sowing. To accelerate the germination of large, hard-to-grow castor seeds, it is most advisable to use scarification. That is, in order to facilitate the growth of the seed sprout and help it open its hard shell, just before sowing, I lightly rub the seed with ordinary sandpaper. Thus, I break the integrity of the seed coat, after which I soak them overnight in a growth stimulator solution, you can use any - "Epin", "Heteroauxin", etc.

I sow castor bean seeds one by one, in liter plastic buckets filled only half with earth, to a depth of 1-2 cm. They sprout quite quickly with this treatment, literally in 3-4 days. Sometimes it is very difficult for castor bean seeds to free themselves from the oily peel that covers the cotyledon leaves, and the presence of which leads to their decay. In this case, I carefully remove it with tweezers.

Castor bean seedlings begin to develop no less quickly - even before the first true leaf appears, the stems of the seedlings stretch a little. Therefore, as soon as the seedlings have their first true leaf, I transfer the seedlings to a bright and cool place, with a temperature of at least +15 ° C. As the castor bean seedling grows rapidly, I add soil to the very edges of the bucket. Several times castor bean seedlings stretched out for me, I had to transfer the plants to larger containers.

I plant castor seedlings in the ground only after the complete end of spring frosts, in late May - early June. Before planting castor bean seedlings in the ground, in order not to injure the roots of the plant and prevent the earthen clod from scattering, I water the seedlings abundantly with water and only after that I carefully take them out.

You can plant castor bean seeds directly into the ground, but you should not do this. before the start May, otherwise you risk losing young plants, which simply may not withstand small return frosts. When planting castor beans outdoors, try to put 2-3 seeds in each hole.

Castor bean care

castor bean so unpretentious plant that require virtually no maintenance. Perhaps the only thing worth paying attention to is watering. Throughout summer season the plant is very actively developing, so it needs to be provided with regular moisture. To provide castor beans with enough moisture, I try to water them every 5 days with 10 liters of water per plant. In addition to watering, in the initial period of growth, weeding will not be superfluous, thanks to which even young plants will not be able to drown out the weeds.

Castor bean is also very responsive to various top dressings, it is best to apply nitrogen, especially before the formation of plant inflorescences.

Attention! Since castor seeds contain ricin, a poisonous substance, their ingestion is very dangerous: only 6 seeds will be fatal for children and 20 for adults, remember this! When growing castor beans, do not forget that castor oil cake is also poisonous, despite the fact that it is used as an excellent fertilizer, as well as to combat various soil pests.

Types of castor beans

Since the castor bean grew uncontrollably and interbred in different climatic conditions for a long time, many variations in the appearance of this plant appeared, and it turned out to be quite difficult for scientists to systematize the genus. True, most botanists agreed that the castor bean, which is grown at the present time, despite the different shapes and colors, varieties and varieties, can be safely called "common castor bean." Today, several forms and types of castor beans are cultivated:

Castor bean

The castor bean reaches a height of 1-1.2 m, the green stem carries large glossy leaves.

Castor bean borbon tree-like height reaches 3 m, the plant has a dense red trunk and large shiny leaves.

Zanzibar castor oil reaches a height of 2 m, has dark red gigantic leaves.

Castor oil Indian - a plant reaching a height of 1.2 m, has dark green leaves and an almost black trunk.

Castor bean Gibson

Castor bean Gibson reaches 1.5 m in height, the leaves and stem of the plant are dark red.

Castor bean (Ricinus communis) - is a perennial sprawling shrub 2-10 m high. "Ricinus" is translated from Latin as "tick", hence the name "castor". The plant is also called paradise tree, castor oil, Turkish hemp.

The stem is glabrous, erect, branched, colored brown, red or bluish-green. Leaves are of decorative value. They are large, palmately divided (consisting of 5-7 lobes), attached to long hollow petioles. The segments are oval in shape, have a pointed top and wavy edges. The width of the leaf plate is 30-80 cm.

The color of the leaves is green, the veins are pronounced. Flowering: dense racemose inflorescences, consisting of small whitish flowers. After flowering, fruits appear in the form of spherical-oval boxes covered with thorns. The diameter of each ball is about 3 cm, they are located between the leaves in several pieces, giving attractiveness. The oval-shaped seeds have a variegated mosaic color: against the background of the main color (gray, red-brown, etc.), there are patterns of brown, black, pink, pale pink.

Oil plant, has medicinal properties, grown as garden culture. Belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family and is the only representative of the genus with several forms and varieties. Africa (namely Ethiopia) is considered the birthplace of castor oil, but in the natural environment it can often be found in the subtropics, tropics of India, Brazil, Argentina, Iran, and China. Castor seeds were found in the tombs of the kings of Egypt - the Egyptians have been growing culture for more than one millennium.

How poisonous is the castor bean?

Be careful as all parts of the plant are poisonous (contain alkaloids). Variegated seeds are strictly not to be eaten. If a child eats about 6 seeds, and an adult - up to 20 pieces, a fatal outcome is possible. Signs of poisoning are headache, weakness, nausea, vomiting, stomach discomfort, the skin may become yellowish. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor. Carry out all work with the plant with gloves, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, and keep children and animals away from contact.

Castor oil seeds at home

When to sow castor beans outdoors

Zanzibar castor bean Ricinus zanzibarinus

An annual plant about 2 m high. The leaves are huge, palmately divided, painted in a red-violet hue.

Castor bean Cambodian or Indian Ricinus cambodgensis

Reaches a height of 1.2 m. The trunk has a dark, almost black color. Leaf plates of dark green color are deeply dissected into lobes.

Castor bean Gibson ricinus gibsonii photo

Low compact bushes about half a meter tall. The color of the leaf plate is dark green, the veins have a burgundy hue. The leaves have a metallic sheen. There are varieties with purple colors.

Castor bean red

The height of the bush is 1.5-2 m. Large palmately divided leaves are shiny, have a dark red color.

Castor bean impala Ricinus Communis Impala

The plant is 1.2 m high. The leaf plates are painted in a bronze-green hue, the veins are reddish. Large dense racemose inflorescences consist of flowers of a bright red hue.

Bourbon castor bean Ricinus borboniensis

Reaches a height of 3 m. The trunk is dense, slightly woody. The color of the leaves is mostly green. Leaf plates located on the tops of the shoots near the inflorescences have a burgundy hue.

Castor oil Cossack

Domestic variety. Plant height is 2 m. The stem is painted red-brown. Young leaves are red-violet with patches white color, but over time they become dark green with streaks of a reddish tint. The color of the flowers is blood red, the seed pods also have a bright purple color.

Castor bean bronze

The leaves and shoots of the plant have a bronze hue, a real bronze palm in your flower garden!

Castor bean purple

A rare curiosity for our gardens, such an annual palm tree looks fantastic. It should be planted in your flower garden or a free corner of the garden.

The benefits of castor beans

Surprisingly, the poisonous seeds are used to make castor oil. The production technology neutralizes toxic substances.

Castor oil is taken to treat inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: colitis, enteritis, constipation.

Externally used for burns, ulcers, warts, wounds, for colds or bronchitis, rub with oil chest. Can be used as eye drops for inflammation. They also treat gynecological diseases, hemorrhoids, varicose veins.

Castor oil is widely used in cosmetology for the treatment of skin problems (pigment spots, uneven skin relief, wrinkles, copes well with calluses, corns, dandruff), is used to strengthen hair and eyelashes.