One of the most infamous plants in the world Ricinus is in fact a very attractive and dramatic plant worthy of any tropical planting. It’s infamously poisonous nature is not actually quite as bad as newspaper articles and spy movies may suggest!! Yes it is the plant that the deadly poison Ricin is extracted from but also the plant that Caster oil is extracted from with it’s many health benefits. Ingestion of the plant in it’s natural state ‘Usually’ only causes severe vomiting expelling the poison.
In frost free areas it grows as a large shrub or small tree up to 12mtrs in height but is usually grown as a fast growing annual in the UK being planted out in late spring where it can reach a staggering height and spread of about 3 to 4 mtrs in a few months. Either allow the plant to be killed off by frost (collecting some seed for the following years sowing) or cut back, lift, pot and bring under heated glass for the winter. Due to it’s fast growth rate overpot planting in as large a pot as possible with a free draining peat or coir based compost.
The leaves get quite huge often reaching between 15 to 45cm in diameter, are deeply lobed and highly variable in colour ranging from green to purple, red to deep bronze or a mixture of all. Dense spikes of small yellow flowers are produced in summer and are followed by pink to red spiky seed capsules. Plant in a sheltered spot with full sun, moist but well drained soil and a fortnightly feed for fastest growth.
Sent as a young plant in a 9cm pot.
Additional photos by By Alvesgaspar - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9781610, By Foto: Martina Nolte, Lizenz: Creative Commons by-sa-3.0 de, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14718445, By Nolege - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2072697, By Davidbena - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66974450
