Castor Bean
Ricinus communis
Castor Bean inflorescence observed along the Salt River in Phoenix, Maricopa Co., Arizona, USA. Sept. 2009.
LEAVES: Large palmately cleft leaves have prominent veins and a stout
petiole.
FLOWERS: Spikes of separate male and female flowers which are mostly
green with some red associated with the stigmata and pistils. Blooming late spring
through summer.
FRUIT: Three-valved capsules are spherical, nearly the size of ping pong
balls, and covered with spiny projections. The clusters of fruit when ripe turn
conspicuously red.
SHRUBBY: Robust, mostly herbaceous plant above, but lower stems and
branches becomes woody in older plants. If protected from killing frost might
reach 3 meters or taller.
RANGE: Locally common along rivers and drainages mostly at the lower,
warmer locations in the Sonoran Desert. Escape from cultivation; native to
Eurasia.
UNARMED