Description of castor bean, recommendations for growing in the garden, how to reproduce, possible diseases and pests, curious notes, types for the garden.
The castor oil plant (Ricinus) is classified by botanists as a monotypic genus belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family. The only representative of this genus is the Castor oil plant (Ricinus communis). The native area of distribution of this plant has not been reliably determined, but according to some sources, the lands of Ethiopia are considered. However, today castor oil plant is naturalized everywhere in the territory with tropical and subtropical climates in both hemispheres of the planet, where it is found both in the wild and semi-cultivated. The main cultivation areas are African countries, as well as China and Iran. There are multiple landings in India, Brazil and Argentina. It is curious that in the lands of Egypt this plant has been known as a culture for more than four millennia.
| Family name | Euphorbiaceae |
| Growth cycle | Perennial in a favorable environment, on the territory of Russia - an annual |
| Growth form | Evergreen shrub |
| Reproduction type | Seminal |
| Transplant time to the garden | Late May to mid June |
| Disembarkation scheme | Leave 1-1.5 m between seedlings |
| Substrate | Loose and nutritious, medium moist chernozem is suitable |
| Indicators of soil acidity, pH | 6, 5-7 (neutral) |
| Lighting level | Sunny location |
| Recommended humidity | In summer heat it is abundant 2-3 times a week, for each plant up to 10 liters of water |
| Special Requirements | Non-capricious |
| Height indicators | Not more than 4-5 m, but in a favorable climate about 10 m |
| Color of flowers | Soft cream, snow-white, green with pinkish |
| Inflorescences or type of flowers | Racemose or corymbose |
| Flowering time | Summer |
| Decorative period | Spring-autumn |
| Places of application | Flowerbeds, mixborders, as a solo plant |
| USDA zone | 5–9 |
The plant bears its name in Latin thanks to the word "ricinus", which means "tick", due to the fact that its seeds are very similar in shape to the shape of oriental ticks. But on the territory of Russia you can hear how the castor oil plant is called "paradise tree", "Turkish hemp" or "castor oil".
In the countries of its natural (primordial) growth, castor bean is a perennial evergreen shrub that can reach a height of almost 10 m, but in our latitudes this representative of the flora is an annual. Its branches do not exceed 4–5 m. By its appearance, the plant resembles a small, spectacular palm tree. Castor bean stems grow erect, have branching. The interior is hollow, and the surface is ribbed. Their color can be varied: pinkish, red, purple or almost black. There is also a glaucous waxy coating on top.
The leaves of the paradise tree are large in size, their diameter varies in the range of 30–80 cm, and in some species it reaches a meter. Deep cuts are present, and the leaf lobes can sometimes be divided. At the top of the leaflets there is a sharpening, the edge is unevenly serrated. Foliage color is dull green. Leaves are attached to the branches using elongated petioles, which can measure from 20 cm to 60 cm.
With the arrival of summer, inflorescences are formed on the castor oil plant, which can decorate the tops of the branches or form in the leaf axils. The inflorescences are made of green-red, cream or pale beige flowers. The flowers of the plant are monoecious, that is, both female and male buds can be present on the same bush. Usually in the inflorescence, the lower part consists of male flowers, female flowers are located in the upper one. The size of the flowers is small, their color is light cream or snow-white. Branched bundles are collected from the stamens. The pistil has a tripartite column, the stigmas are fringed, painted in red, crimson or pale yellow color.
After pollination, the fruits ripen in the form of a spherical capsule. Their surface can be bare or with thorns. In diameter, castor bean fruits reach 3 cm. The boxes are usually located between the leaf plates and increase the decorative effect of the plant. There are three doors inside, between which you can find seeds.
Fully ripe seeds are oval in shape. On the back side they have a bulge, and on the "abdomen" the seeds are flat, in the middle there is a longitudinal seam. The seed coat is smooth to the touch, glossy. The color of the seeds is variegated, resembling a mosaic. It is interesting that against the background of the seed, depending on the type of castor plant, the mosaic can have a pale pink, pink or brown tone, which makes it stand out in contrast. It is precisely this shape and color that gives the seed the appearance of a tick, which served as the name of the plant.
Since the castor oil plant is not capricious and looks quite decorative, it can be found on flower beds and backyard plots.
Recommendations for growing castor bean - planting and care in the garden
- Landing place paradise-tree should pick up the sun. The plant prefers a warm and moderately humid location. If the planting is constantly exposed to drafts and cold winds, growth will be greatly slowed down.
- Priming loose and nutritious is suitable for planting Turkish hemp. If the soil on the site is poor, then it is recommended to apply fertilizers and organic matter into it (for example, Kemiru-Universal and compost). River sand is mixed into too heavy soil when digging. It is important that the substrate is also moderately moist. Black soil or garden soil is suitable. The more fertile the soil mixture is, the thicker the paradise tree bush will grow.
- Planting castor bean it is carried out only when the weather is warm and the frost will not return. This period stretches from the end of May to the beginning of the first summer month. If the time is not chosen correctly, then the plants may die from a decrease in temperature. Usually one meter-high seedlings are planted, so about 1.5–2 m are left between the planting holes. To make the future bush more luxuriant, you can place a pair of castor oil seedlings in one hole. Since the root system is highly sensitive, only the transshipment method is used, while the earthen lump is not destroyed. After the seedlings are placed in the hole, it is necessary that the root collar is located flush with the soil level. Then the hole is filled to the top with the substrate and abundant watering is performed. It is recommended to mulch the near-trunk circle with peat chips - this will slow down the evaporation of moisture from the surface of the substrate and prevent the growth of weeds. After working with the plant, you should thoroughly wash your hands with soap or use gloves. However, if you just stay close to such plantings or touch them, then there will be no harm.
- Humidity and watering. This factor is most important when growing castor beans. Since the leaf plates are quite large, moisture evaporates very quickly from their surface. Therefore, while the plant is young, and afterwards, it is recommended to carry out regular moistening of the soil. If there has been no precipitation for a long time, especially in the summer heat, a bucket of water must be poured under each bush 1-2 times in 7 days.
- Fertilizers for castor bean. During the period when the terminal and axillary inflorescences begin to form, it will be necessary to introduce nitrogen-containing preparations, which can be ammonium nitrate or urea.
- General advice on care. Although castor oil plant is a rather unpretentious representative of the flora, while it is still young, seedlings can be drowned out by weeds. Therefore, it is recommended to frequently weed and loosen the soil after watering or rains. Over time, the weed will gradually stop growing by itself.
- Castor oil plant in winter. Although in the environment of natural growth, the plant acts as an evergreen representative of the flora, in our latitudes, with the arrival of the first cold snap, its stems begin to darken, and the foliage withers. It makes no sense to cover and protect the bushes of the paradise tree for the winter, therefore it is recommended to cut off the entire above-ground part, and carefully dig up the soil on the site.
- The use of castor oil plants in landscape design. Since the plant is distinguished by its rapid growth and spectacular leaf plates, it is recommended to place it both in group plantings and as a tapeworm. However, if such plantings are mixed, then the paradise tree in them may simply get lost. Often, you can form hedges or cover ugly walls with the help of tall castor bean stems. It is recommended to plant castor oil next to plants of lower parameters, as a central element. When planting in a garden, castor bean can help scare away mosquitoes and other harmful insects (flies or gadflies), and can also help moles to dare from nearby lands.
Important
You should not plant castor oil in places where small children have access to the plant, since all green parts are very poisonous. For children, it will be a lethal dose to take just six seeds, while for adults this number reaches twenty.
How to reproduce castor bean?
The paradise tree is propagated mainly by seeds: seedling or non-seedling. Usually there is a sufficient amount of planting material on the plant. Since the seeds have a hard coating, they are difficult to germinate, so before sowing it is recommended to carry out scarification - slightly damage the skin. To do this, the seeds are poured between sheets of sandpaper, and lightly wiped, or using a file, cut off the surface layer. In this case, it is important not to damage the core. After that, the treated material is placed in a stimulant solution (it can be Epin or heteroauxinic acid) for at least 12 hours, or overnight.
- Sowing in open ground. After the seeds have undergone pre-sowing treatment, they can be sown directly on the garden bed on May days, when the soil is already warmed up enough and the threat of recurrent frosts has passed. At the same time, 2-3 seeds are placed in the hole. A distance of about 0.5 m is maintained between the pits.
- Sowing seeds for seedlings. Growing plants with this method allows you to quickly get castor bean seedlings, which will differ in strength and health. Sowing in this case is carried out in the middle of spring. The seeds are placed in pots with a small diameter, which are half filled with loose garden substrate. Instead, you can use a peat-sand mixture, which will meet the same nutritional properties and permeability to air and moisture. Large castor bean seeds are placed in a container one by one. The depth of the seed is 1, 5–2, 5 cm. A container with crops is placed in a warm and well-lit place. The germination temperature is maintained in the range of 20-24 degrees. After 3-4 days, you can see the first shoots. It happens that it is not easy for a sprout to break through the peel that covers the cotyledon leaves and has an oily coating, so it is removed with tweezers. It is not recommended to leave these leaves, as they will begin to rot, provoking the death of the seedling.
The development of castor bean seedlings is rapid. First, a shoot is formed, on which carved real leaves unfold a little later. In order to subsequently get a denser paradise-tree bush, the pots with seedlings are transferred to a cooler place, where the temperature will be in the range of 15-18 degrees. Gradually, when the young plants grow, the soil must be poured into the pots until it reaches the edges.
Until the time comes for planting in open ground, a castor bean seedling can be equal in height to a meter. The time for disembarking in the garden will be from late May to mid-June.
Important
It is recommended to leave the earthen lump intact when transplanting. If the time for planting in open ground has not yet come, and the pot has become small for the castor bean seedling, then the planting capacity is changed to a new one by transferring it to it.
Possible diseases and pests of castor oil plants
Since all the green parts of the plant contain a very poisonous substance, harmful insects do not particularly annoy this representative of the flora, and even greater resistance is manifested to diseases. However, if the planting site is chosen incorrectly (in strong shade or cold), then the castor oil plant begins to suffer from various rot, it is also possible to be affected by powdery mildew and phyllostictosis (brown spot). To get rid of such ailments and to heal the paradise tree bush, it is recommended to perform treatment with fungicidal preparations or use Bordeaux liquid after all diseased parts of the plant have been previously removed.
Occasionally, on foliage or stems, you can find caterpillars, meadow bugs or false wireworms, wireworms and sandy lollipops. These pests will not cause problems if onions, garlic and other herbs are planted nearby the castor bean. "Uninvited guests" can be removed if the treatment is carried out with folk remedies, such as an infusion based on bitter wormwood (dilute the drug with water in a ratio of 1: 3), tobacco or laundry soap. When mild non-chemical agents do not help, then urgent spraying with insecticides such as Aktara, Aktellik or Fitoverm is recommended.
Curious notes about the castor bean plant
Fatty oil was found in castor bean seeds, which contains up to 60–80%. There are 17% proteins in the seed nucleus, in addition, there is a deadly poisonous substance - toxalbumin ricin. The entire aerial part of the castor bean contains the protein ricin and the alkoloid ricin, which are poisonous not only for humans, but also for any animals. If the seeds enter the body, then vomiting, enteritis, colic and bleeding of the gastrointestinal tract may occur, while a disruption of the water-electrolyte balance occurs. Death usually occurs after 5-7 days. Doctors note that irreparable harm to human health occurs and even if the patient survives, his health will never recover. All of this happens because the ricin protein is capable of breaking down proteins in the body's tissues. The same thing happens if you just inhale ricin powder, as the lungs are inevitably affected.
But it is important that castor oil is squeezed out of castor bean seeds. The substance obtained from the seed is exposed to hot steam. Under the influence of high temperature indicators, the decomposition of an unstable poisonous compound occurs.
Castor oil or castor oil has always been considered a bowel relaxer. It is able to accelerate the restoration of body tissues. But in addition to medical use, this technical grade substance is used in a wide variety of industries. Since the viscosity of the substance does not disappear with increasing temperature, castor oil is used as an excellent lubricant that can be used in highly accelerated internal combustion engines or in lubricant mixtures.
Although all parts of the castor bean are poisonous, they are often planted to obtain cake, since, despite all the danger, it is an excellent fertilizer.
On the territory of Russia, since the end of the 19th century, castor oil has been used to stimulate childbirth, it was introduced into the composition of mixtures that stimulate hair growth or cleanse the intestines. When processing hides, castor oil was used as a lubricant, and finished leather products were also enveloped with it.
Varieties of castor oil plants for the garden
Although there is only one species in the genus, it has become the basis for breeding a large number of varieties and hybrid forms, which differ in decorative features. All representatives have the appearance of a spreading shrub, the stems of which are covered with leafy plates with long petioles. The leaves are beautiful, with carved lobes. The inflorescences are close to the stem. Flowering stems are shortened, crowned with corymbose inflorescences. Flowers in them with yellow or cream petals. After pollination has passed, spherical capsules with seeds are formed, the surface of the fruit is covered with thorns. The most popular varieties are:
Castor oil plant Gibson (Ricinus Gibsonii)
The stems of the bush reach a height of 1, 2–1, 5 meters and are covered with large leaf plates. The color of the stems is dark purple. The foliage is green or reddish purple with a metallic sheen. Along the veins, the leaf surface has a reddish tint.
Gibson's castor oil plant (Ricinus Gibsonii Mirabilis)
The height of the stems does not exceed 1, 2 m. The foliage and stems differ in purple-red color.
Zanzibar castor oil plant
It is represented by an annual with an increased growth rate, the stems can reach 2 m in height. The leaves are huge, their color is reddish-purple on the veins there is a whitish tint. Beautiful large inflorescences are formed close to the trunk.
Castor oil plant
it is characterized by increased decorativeness, while the height of the shrub varies in the range of 1.5–2 m. Large leaf plates grow on the stems, which have a finger-like shape, a dark red hue and a glossy surface.
Castor oil impala
A shrub characterized by more compact size, since the height of the stems is not more than 1, 2 m. The shoots are distinguished by their power and high growth rate, the color of young branches is carmine-red, the same shade in young foliage. The entire surface of the stems is covered with leaf plates of a bronze-green or reddish-purple color. Along the veins there is a decoration of red streaks. The inflorescences are composed of the same bright red flowers, formed into large dense clusters. The male flowers in them are very showy, with a yellowish-green color scheme.
Bourbon castor oil plant (Ricinus Borboniensis Arboreus)
or Bourbon tree. It is represented by a powerful bush with a branched stem, the surface of which has a red tint. The growth rate is high. The height of the stems is 3 m. The color of the large foliage is of a rich green or grayish-green color, their surface is glossy.
Cambodian castor oil plant (Ricinus Cambodgensis)
The plant has stems reaching 1, 2 m in height. In this case, the color of the trunks takes on an almost black tint. The leaves are dark green or dark purple, with a dissection almost to the base.
Castor oil plant (Ricinus Carmencita
) in height can vary in the range of 2-3 m, the stems are characterized by good branching. The leaves are painted in a dark bronze-red color, the inflorescences are formed by female flowers of a light red tone.
Castor oil plant "Red spire" (Ricinus Red Spire)
in height varies within 2-3 m, the color of the stems is reddish, the leaves are characterized by a bronze tint.
Castor oil plant "Kazatskaya" (Ricinus Kazatchka)
flaunts with foliage of a dark green tone, decorated with reddish veins, young leaves take on a purple hue, flowers in inflorescences are bright red.
Castor oil plant Cocunez (Ricinus Coccineus)
differs in the foliage of a bronze color. At the same time, the depth of cut of the leaf plate is greater than that of other varietal forms.
Castor oil plant (Ricinus Sanguineus)
has the highest growth rate. The foliage is green with a reddish tint.
Video about growing castor bean:
