Ricinus

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 2: 1007. 1753.

Common names: Castor bean castor oil plant
Introduced
Etymology: Latin, tick or louse, alluding to appearance of seeds
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 160. Mentioned on page 157, 159.
 TaxonIllustrator 
FNA12 P20 Ricinus communis.jpegRicinus communis
Mercurialis annua
Acalypha californica
Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey
Barbara Alongi
Barbara Alongi

Herbs [shrubs], annual or perennial, monoecious; hairs absent; latex absent. Leaves deciduous, alternate, simple; stipules present, caducous; petiole present, glands present at apex and usually proximally; blade palmately lobed, margins serrate, laminar glands present; venation palmate. Inflorescences bisexual (staminate flowers proximal, pistillate distal) or pistillate, terminal or leaf-opposed, racemelike thyrses; glands subtending each bract 2. Pedicels present. Staminate flowers: sepals 3–5, valvate, connate basally; petals 0; nectary absent; stamens to 1000, connate proximally in numerous slender, irregularly branched columns; pistillode absent. Pistillate flowers: sepals 5, distinct or connate basally; petals 0; nectary absent; pistil 3-carpellate; styles 3, distinct or slightly connate basally, 2-fid. Fruits capsules. Seeds ovoid or ovoid-ellipsoid; caruncle present. x = 10.

Distribution

Introduced; ne Africa, widely cultivated and often naturalized in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions worldwide

Discussion

Species 1.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

"connate" is not a number. "distinct" is not a number.

... more about "Ricinus"
Lynn J. Gillespie +
Linnaeus +
slender +
Castor bean +  and castor oil plant +
ne Africa +, widely cultivated and often naturalized in tropical +, subtropical +  and and warm temperate regions worldwide +
Latin, tick or louse, alluding to appearance of seeds +
pistillate +  and staminate +
subtending +
leaf-opposed +  and terminal +
deciduous +
palmate +  and pinnate +
crenate +, repand +  and subentire +
connate;distinct +
ovoid-ellipsoid +  and ovoid +
connate +  and distinct +
Introduced +
connate +  and distinct +
Ricinus +
Euphorbiaceae +
racemelike +
perennial +  and annual +