Castor oil plant
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| Castor oil plant | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 Castor bean in disturbed area
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| Ricinus communis L. |
The castor oil plant, Ricinus communis, is a plant species of the Euphorbiaceae and the sole member of the genus Ricinus and of the subtribe Ricininae. Its seed is the castor bean which, despite its name, is not a true bean.
Castor seed is the source of castor oil, which has a wide variety of uses. The seeds contain between 40% and 60% oil that is rich in triglycerides, mainly ricinolein. They also contain ricin, a poison, which is also present in lower concentrations throughout the plant.
The toxicity of raw castor beans is well-known, and reports of actual poisoning are relatively rare. Children could conceivably die from as few as three beans; adults may require eight or more. As an example of the rarity of castor bean poisoning, in recent years there have only been two cases reported in all of England, and both the victims recovered uneventfully.[1]
Castor seeds have been found in Egyptian tombs dating back to 4000 BC. Herodotus and other Greek travelers have noted the use of castor seed oil for lighting and body ointments.
Global castor seed production is around 1 million tons per year. Leading producing areas are India, China and Brazil. There are several active breeding programmes.
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[edit] Nomenclature
The name Ricinus is a Latin word for tick; the seed is so named because it has markings and a bump at the end which resemble certain ticks. The common name "castor oil" likely comes from its use as a replacement for castoreum, a perfume base made from the dried perineal glands of the beaver (castor in Latin). It has another common name, Palm of Christ, or Palma Christi, that derives from castor oil's ability to heal wounds and cure ailments.
[edit] Habitat and growth
Although castor is probably indigenous to the southeastern Mediterranean region and Eastern Africa, today it is widespread throughout tropical regions. [2] Castor establishes itself easily as an apparently "native" plant and can often be found on wasteland. It is widely grown as a crop in Ethiopia. It is also used extensively as a decorative plant in parks and other public areas, particularly as a "dot plant" in traditional bedding schemes.This plant is name Ricnu in Maltese.
Although monotypic, the castor oil plant can vary greatly in its growth habit and appearance. It is a fast-growing, suckering perennial shrub which can reach the size of a small tree (around 12 m), but it is not hardy. However it grows well outside, at least in Southern England, and the leaves do not appear to suffer frost damage in sheltered spots, where it remains evergreen. In areas prone to frost it is usually shorter and grown as if it were an annual: it can reach a height of 2–3 m in a year (if sown early, under glass, and kept at a temperature of around 20°Celsius/68°Fahreheit until planted out [3]). The glossy leaves are 15–45 cm long, palmate, with 5–12 deep lobes and toothed margins. Their colour varies from dark green, sometimes with a reddish tinge, to dark reddish purple or bronze. The stems and the spherical, spiny seed pods also vary in pigmentation. The pods are more showy than the flowers (the male flowers are yellowish-green with prominent creamy stamens and are carried in ovoid spikes up to 15 cm long; the female flowers, borne at the tips of the spikes, have prominent red stigmas). [4]
Selections have been made by breeders for use as ornamental plants: 'Gibsonii' has red-tinged leaves with reddish veins and pinkish-green seed pods; 'Carmencita Pink' is similar, with pinkish-red stems; 'Carmencita Bright Red' has red stems, dark purplish leaves and red seed pods; all grow to around 1.5 m tall as annuals. [5] 'Impala' is compact (only 1.2 m tall) with reddish foliage and stems, brightest on the young shoots; 'Red Spire' is tall (2–3 m) with red stems and bronze foliage; 'Zanzibarensis' is also tall (2–3 m), with large, mid-green leaves (50 cm long) with white midribs. (Heights refer to plants grown as annuals.) [6]
[edit] Plant-animal interactions
Ricinus communis is the host plant of the Common Castor butterfly (Ariadne merione) and the Castor Semi-Looper moth (Achaea janata). It is also used as a food plant by the larvae of some other species of Lepidoptera, including Hypercompe hambletoni and the Nutmeg (Discestra trifolii).
Among birds, it is a favourite food of the Tambourine Dove (Turtur tympanistria).
Castor beans are very toxic and deadly to dogs.
[edit] Uses
Usage in ethnobotany The use of castor seed oil in India has been documented since 2000 BC for use in lamps and in local medicine as a laxative, purgative, and cathartic in Unani, Ayurvedic and other ethnomedical systems.
Castor seed and its oil have also been used in China for centuries, mainly prescribed in local medicine for internal use or use in dressings.
The oil has undecylenic acid, a powerful chemical for dermal fungus.
The oil is known to have been used as an instrument of coercion by the Fascist militia (Camicie Nere) under the regime of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Dissidents and regime opponents were forced to ingest the oil in large amounts, triggering severe diarrhoea and dehydration, which could ultimately cause death. This punishment method was originally thought of by Gabriele D'Annunzio, the Italian poet and Fascist supporter, during the First World War.
It was used in rituals of sacrifice to please the gods in early civilizations. However, if consumed raw or untreated it leads to death in more than 97.3% of cases.
In Brazil, castor plants are abundant. The "fruits" are used by children as slingshot balls. Mamonas, as the fruits are called, serve perfectly as projectiles for slingshots since they have the right weight, size and hardness. Mamona oil is now being used to produce biodiesel in poor rural areas of the country.
[edit] Production
India is world leader in Castor Beans Production follwed by China and then Brazil.
| Top Ten Castor Beans Producers — 2005 | ||||
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| Country | Production (Int $1000) | Footnote | Production (MT) | Footnote |
 India |
351,332 | C | 870,000 | * |
 People's Republic of China |
108,226 | C | 268,000 | * |
 Brazil |
71,374 | C | 176,743 | F |
 Ethiopia |
6,057 | C | 15,000 | F |
 Paraguay |
4,644 | C | 11,500 | |
 Thailand |
4,038 | C | 10,000 | F |
 Vietnam |
2,181 | C | 5,400 | F |
 South Africa |
1,979 | C | 4,900 | F |
 Philippines |
1,615 | C | 4,000 | * |
 Angola |
1,413 | C | 3,500 | F |
| No symbol = official figure,F = FAO estimate, * = Unofficial figure, C = Calculated figure; Production in Int $1000 have been calculated based on 1999-2001 international prices |
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[edit] Gallery
 Ricinus communis, pollen (scanning electron microscope image) |
 Ricinus communis, seed |
 Ricinus communis, fruit |
 Seedling showing prominent cotyledons |
 Ricinus communis, flowers & fruit |
 Ricinus communis "Carmencita", garden in the Netherlands |
 Ricinus communis |
[edit] Common Names
Puerto Rico: Higuereta
Brazil: Carrapateiro, mamona
Nicaragua: Higuera or higueria
Portugal: Figueira do Diabo
Ethiopia: Gulo
Mexico: Higuerilla
[edit] References
- ^ Wedin, G.P., Neal, J.S., Everson, G.W., and Krenzelok, E.P. 1986. Castor bean poisoning. Am J Emerg Med. 4(3): 259-61. (abstract)
- ^ Phillips, Roger & Rix, Martyn (1999) Annuals and Biennials p106, Macmillan, London, ISBN 0 333 74889 1
- ^ Phillips, Roger & Rix, Martyn (1999) Annuals and Biennials p106, Macmillan, London, ISBN 0 333 74889 1
- ^ Brickell, Christopher (ed) The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants (1996) pp884–5, Dorling Kindersley, London, ISBN 0 7513 0303 8
- ^ Phillips, Roger & Rix, Martyn (1999) Annuals and Biennials p106, Macmillan, London, ISBN 0 333 74889 1
- ^ Brickell, Christopher (ed) The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopaedia of Garden Plants (1996) p885, Dorling Kindersley, London, ISBN 0 7513 0303 8
[edit] Further reading
- Everitt, J.H.; Lonard, R.L., Little, C.R. (2007). Weeds in South Texas and Northern Mexico. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press. ISBN 0-89672-614-2
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Ricinus communis L. at Purdue University
- Castor beans at Purdue University
- Ricinus communis (castor bean) at Cornell University
