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October 4, 2014 By Debbie Kuyvenhoven

Castor Bean

Castor bean or castor oil plant is a bold and beautiful plant.

castorbeanseeds

Not a bean at all, the castor plant is our source of castor oil.  The leaves and especially the seeds are extremely poisonous.

The leaves are this lovely palm shape.

castorbean

I grew this red variety from seed saved from last year’s plants.  It grows 4-5 feet tall, with a thick woody stem.  I don’t stake it.  It usually stays upright, unless a strong summer storm makes it lean over.

castorbean3

There is no bloom to speak of, it’s all about the leaves here.  The seeds are hidden in these spiked red balls.  I wait until they are more mature, when they turn more brown and dried.  Then it’s easy to pop the seeds out, and save them for next spring.

It is a striking plant in the garden, doing best in sunnier areas.

One or two plants will provide lots of  conversation with your garden visitors!

 

 

 

 

 

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