Castor bean (Ricinus communis) is a glamorous addition to any ornamental garden with bizarre seed pods and large tropical-looking leaves. It’s the only member of the genus Ricinus communis[1] and belongs to the milkweed family (Euphorbiaceae).
The Latin word Ricinus means “tick“, which is used for the name of this plant due to the superficial similarity of the seeds to a specific European tick species. This plant is native to eastern tropical Africa but has naturalized in the tropics and subtropics around the world.
