Castor bean

Family. Euphorbiaceae.

Where does it grow? Tropics of Asia. Northeast Africa. 

Description. Castor oil plant is a large evergreen herbaceous plant or subshrub, reaching 5 meters in height and capable of growing up to 2 m in height in one season. The stem is thick, powerful, hollow inside, green or red. The leaves are palmately dissected, with 5-11 lobes, glossy, green or purple-red, reaching 30-75 cm in diameter, on long petioles, arranged alternately. The leaf segments have large teeth along the edges. Inflorescences up to 30 cm long appear at the top of the stem and bear greenish-yellow flowers. Female flowers are in the upper part of the ear, male - in the lower half. After flowering, spectacular rounded bright red fruits are formed about 2.5 cm in diameter, completely covered with flexible thorns. The plant has a very spectacular appearance and resembles a palm tree.

Height. In nature it reaches 12 m in height, in culture it is usually about 2 m.

Temperature

A heat-loving species, it can be kept at a temperature of about 20° C all year round. It does not tolerate frost.

Lighting

Plants can grow in partial shade, but they will not be as lush; leaves become small with insufficient light. Optimally, leaf blades receive 3-4 hours of direct sunlight per day in the morning and evening. Provide maximum lighting in autumn and winter.

Soil

Nutritious, with the addition of leaf humus, peat, turf soil, and should allow moisture and air to pass through well. 

Feeding

The bush develops very quickly and requires weekly feeding. In the first half of the season - in spring and early summer - feed with fertilizers with a high nitrogen content, later use fertilizers with sufficient phosphorus and potassium content.

Purpose

A large, showy pot plant.

Flowering time

From June to October. When kept indoors, it can bloom all year round.

Air humidity

Mist the leaves if the air in the room becomes dry. Place the pot with the castor bean plant on a tray with wet pebbles.

Soil moisture

During the growth period, the soil should be moist; before each subsequent watering, the top layer of soil should be allowed to dry out a little. In the canopy and winter, the soil is dried to almost 1/3 of its depth. Excess water from the pan must be drained.

Transplantation

Representatives of this species do not like transplantation very much, so try not to disturb them unless absolutely necessary. Transplant in the spring, in adult specimens replace the top layer of soil with fresh soil.

Reproduction

Seeds are sown in spring, after preliminary soaking in warm water for 24 hours. Shoots appear within 1 - 2 weeks. 

Pests and diseases 

Of the harmful insects, the main dangers are spider mites and thrips. When grown in open ground, caterpillars of cutworms, meadow moths, garden bugs, and wireworms can attack.

Note

With proper care, it can live for about 10 years indoors. All parts are toxic, especially the seeds. There are known cases of death when it enters the body of humans and animals. When in contact with the bush, protect your hands with gloves. Camphor oil is obtained from the castor oil plant.