Castor Bean

Saw this Castor Bean plant growing outside at the Calgary Zoo on 1st October.

"The castor bean plant, Ricinus communis, is a "native of tropical Africa cultivated in several varieties for the oil found in its leaves and for its bold foliage."(Alber and Alber)

The "stalked leaves consist of usually eight radiating, pointed leaflets with slightly serrated edges and prominent central veins. Many varieties are green, but some are reddish brown."(Cooper and Johnson) The flowers are green and inconspicuous, but pink or red in the pigmented varieties. Many stamens are near the base and branching pistils are near the top of the flower. The soft-spined fruits containing attractively mottled seeds are distinctive features of the plant.

It is grown as an ornamental in gardens, sometimes as a houseplant, and also grows as a weed.
It is an annual in the south and a perennial in the tropics, and it may reach "15 feet tall outdoors".
It is a woody herb belonging to the family of Euphorbiacea (Spurge).

The seeds from the castor bean plant, Ricinus communis, are poisonous to people, animals and insects. Castor beans are pressed to extract castor oil which is used for medicinal purposes." From www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/castorbean.