Castor oil plant - Ricinus

Castor oil is a perennial plant that also has medicinal properties. This culture belongs to the Lesser family and has only one species. Gardeners are very fond of growing a large number of castor bean varieties.

The homeland of castor bean is considered the hottest continent, and more specifically, Ethiopia. In the wild, this plant can be found in the tropics and subtropics. In addition, it is distributed almost all over the world. Wild castor bean plants occupy the territories of Iran, China, India and other countries. In Africa, castor bean is cultivated for a long period of time. This is evidenced by the seeds of the plant found in historical monuments, which were erected several centuries before our era.

Castor oil plant has this name because its seeds resemble the shape of a tick. Among the people, this culture has a number of other names.

Castor oil plant: photo of a plant

Plant characteristic

The castor oil plant has very beautiful leaves that have a decorative function. An adult plant grows in height ranging from 2 to 10 m, and also branches very well on the sides. Erect stems are red or brown in color. The leaves look especially beautiful here, which are arranged alternately along the stem and have empty petioles. Their shape resembles a human palm. The leaf blade consists of 5 or 7 lobes and has a dark rich green hue. It is thanks to the large size and unusual shape of the leaves that the castor oil plant has become so popular and so beloved among flower growers.

Castor bean flowers are not particularly beautiful. They have a dull shade and are collected in a racemose inflorescence. Therefore, they do not perform decorative functions. After flowering, fruits are formed, which are collected in the form of a box with a large number of thorns on the surface. The shape of the fruit is oval or in the form of a ball. Ripe fruits make the plant even more interesting. Inside each box there is a large number of seeds that have a different shade: brown, pink, and others. Here, the color of the seeds will depend on the type of plant.

It should be remembered that castor oil plant is a poisonous plant due to the content of harmful substances in it.

Gardeners often grow low varieties of castor oil plants, which are distinguished by a bright pronounced shade. Among them, the castor oil plant of Zanzibar or Cambodian can be distinguished.

Castor oil plant: photo of a plant

Castor oil plant: planting and plant growing rules

The castor oil plant is propagated with the help of seeds, which must be scarified beforehand. The seeds have an average germination rate, therefore, having planted about 10 seeds, only half of them or a little more can germinate. In order to improve germination, it is necessary to scarify seeds. This is done in a simple way using sandpaper. After rubbing the seeds with this paper, they must be placed in a solution of any drug that stimulates growth. Popular are Heteroauxin or Epin. The best time to plant castor bean in open soil is late or mid-spring.

It will be safer to grow castor bean using seedlings, sowing seeds in a container at the beginning of spring. Plastic buckets of one liter are suitable as a container for seeds. Fertile soil must be poured into these containers. Then the scarified seeds are placed there separately to a depth of about 3 cm.If you did everything correctly, then in 3-4 days you can already see the first shoots. Occasionally, you will notice peel adhered, which can be easily removed with any tool, such as tweezers, to prevent rot.

After the castor bean seeds sprout, the sprouts will begin to gain very rapidly growing strength and become long. After one real leaf is formed, it is necessary to put the seed pots in a cool room, where there is a lot of light. Do not let the temperature drop below 14 degrees here. As the castor bean grows and develops, it will be necessary to add soil until the pot is completely filled with soil. If you see that the plant is already cramped in a liter pot, you can move it to a larger pot. Thus, seedlings ready for planting in open ground will reach approximately 1 m in height.

Castor oil plant belongs to unpretentious plants, therefore it does not require special care and growing conditions. However, if you want the plant to fulfill its decorative function to the fullest, you must choose an open, well-lit by the sun place, where there will be light loose soil with a large amount of nutrients for the plant. The optimal composition of the soil here will be black soil.

Already at the end of spring or at the beginning of summer, when the soil warms up enough, and return frosts go away, you can plant seedlings on the site. Before that, all plants need to be well watered. Then the seedlings are carefully transplanted into pre-prepared holes. In this case, you need to try to preserve the earthen lump as much as possible. From above, the plants are covered with earth, which you just need to tamp. After transplanting the seedlings, you need to water it again.

For those who sow castor bean directly into open soil, it is necessary to wait until the beginning of May and prepare small holes in which several seeds are placed at once.

As mentioned above, castor bean seeds contain harmful and poisonous substances. More specifically, using 6 seeds, the child may die. For the death of an adult, 20 seeds will be enough. Therefore, when working with poisonous castor oil, it is imperative to observe safety precautions and use gloves.

Seeds of poisonous castor bean: photo

Castor oil care rules

Castor oil grows in a short time, therefore, after transplanting into open ground, it immediately begins to actively grow, without requiring special attention from gardeners. The only thing a plant is demanding for is regular watering. Watering must be done twice every 10 days. At the same time, about 10 liters of water are needed for each plant.

Young shoots must be weeded out, after which adult plants will not give active growth to weeds. Before the flowering period, nitrogen fertilizers should be added to the soil.

Seeds of poisonous castor bean: photo

Diseases and pests

Castor oil plant has a high immunity to various common diseases and insect pests, if all the rules of care are followed. After sowing seeds in open ground, young plants are susceptible to attack by various pests. Among them, wireworms, caterpillars, scoops and other parasites can be distinguished. When a plant is in bloom, flower pests can infect its flowers.

To destroy pests, it is enough to work with them with the help of special preparations, herbal infusions, and they can also be removed mechanically when it comes to large pests, such as caterpillars. Smaller pests will help to destroy the treatment with wormwood infusion. To prepare it, you will need to grind wormwood and insist it in a bucket of water. The infusion should be prepared for several days, after which the mixture must be filtered.

You can get rid of parasites and prevent their appearance by planting some fragrant greenery next to the plant.It can be dill, garlic, mint, marigolds, etc., since the pests do not tolerate the smell of these plants.

It will be more difficult to destroy wireworms, so their appearance is easier to prevent than to treat the plant. For prevention purposes, it is necessary to add a weak solution of manganese to each planting hole before planting.

Of the diseases common for castor oil plants, gray or black rot, late blight, cytosporosis, powdery mildew and other diseases caused by the fungus are isolated. If you see signs of a disease on the plant, it must be sprayed with a solution of Bordeaux liquid or other copper-containing preparations.

Seeds of poisonous castor bean: photo

Collecting castor bean seeds

In order to collect ready-made castor bean seeds, it is necessary to note the strongest, healthiest, lush bushes even during the flowering period and cut off the formed fruits at the beginning of September. Fruit pods are dried in a well-ventilated area. The seeds inside the bolls will ripen only by the beginning of winter or by the end of autumn. The fact that the seeds are ready will be evidenced by their complete scattering with a light pressure on the box. The number of castor bean seeds in each box is about three, which are shaped like beans. Taking precautions, gloves should be worn, and animals or children should be kept away from the seeds. Castor bean seeds remain viable for up to 4 years.

Seeds of poisonous castor bean: photo

Plant species

At the very beginning of the article, it was mentioned that the castor oil plant has only one appearance. But breeders do not stand still, and thanks to their work, a large number of varieties of this culture have appeared.

Castor oil plant Zanzibar... It is an annual that has a very high vigor and its stem reaches up to 2 m in length. The inflorescences form a raceme, and the plant is characterized by a large leaf size. An adult plant thus resembles a tropical tree. It is planted for the purpose of landscaping and giving an exotic look to various parts of the site. The beauty of the picture is complemented by a bright, saturated purple color of the leaf plates.

Castor oil plant Zanzibar: plant photo

Castor oil plant Cambodian... This plant is slightly lower than the previous variety and only slightly exceeds 1 m. The stem is black, as are the leaf plates. This variety is most often planted in a group with other plant varieties for decorative functions.

Variety Gibson... This plant has a one and a half meter stem. The culture is characterized by an unusual metallic shade of leaf plates. There are other varieties that are distinguished by red leaves and a shorter stem.

Castor oil Borbon tree... This is a very tall plant, which can even reach 3 m. The trunk has a red tint and is distinguished by a dense structure. Moreover, the plant is characterized by a shiny leaf surface.

Castor oil Borbon: photo of a plant

Russian scientists are also distinguished by their talent and have developed a decorative castor bean variety called Kazachka... The stem height of this bush is about 2 m, which has a brown tint, and the leaves are characterized by a pronounced green color with red veins. The leaves of a young plant have a purple hue and a white edging at the top. Flowers, like the fruits of the plant, also have a red tint.

Beneficial features

Above in the article, it was mentioned that castor oil plants are toxic plants due to the presence of ricin, which is fatal to humans. However, for humans, this plant can be beneficial, since the essential oil is obtained from it. This oil is rich in various useful substances: glyceride, oleic acid and various micro and macro elements. Castor oil is used as a laxative for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, with various inflammations.In addition, preparations containing the oil of this plant cope with skin lesions and are used in the complex treatment of ARVI.

Castor oil is also effective in combating diseases such as hemorrhoids and varicose veins. In addition, it is added to anti-inflammatory eye drops, as well as in the complex treatment of the pelvic organs.

They sell oil obtained from castor bean seeds, in capsules or in small glass vials. It is recommended to store bottles of oil in the cold, as a result of which it retains its properties for many years.

Castor oil plant: photo of a plant

You can also use a decoction of the plant in the treatment of intestinal ailments. Thus, fresh leaves are very finely chopped and poured with a glass of boiling water. After that, the resulting mixture must be cooked for about 10 minutes at a low temperature. Then the composition needs to be defended for some time, and after that, it must be filtered. In case of intestinal inflammation, the infusion is taken in a spoon in the morning, afternoon and evening. The course of treatment is two weeks.

In addition to intestinal disorders, this plant is used in the complex treatment of bronchitis or during a cold.

Castor oil from castor oil is also used as a remedy. It must be rubbed into the skin of the chest of a person suffering from bronchitis several times a day, after which it must be wrapped in a scarf.

In addition, castor oil helps in rubbing it into various areas of the skin. With the help of it, they get rid of formations such as warts, heal wounds. For the treatment of eye diseases, you should drip one or two drops of castor oil at night for about a week.

So, oil prepared from castor oil is used not only for medicinal purposes, but also as a cosmetic product. It is very effective for hair problems, as well as for getting rid of various age spots and other skin problems. The oil fights skin aging, ulcers and other skin imperfections. Some people use a remedy for calluses and calluses.

Useful Tips

Castor oil plant Zanzibar: plant photo

To keep your eyelashes long and fluffy, apply castor oil to them with a brush from used mascara. However, you should strictly avoid contact with the mucous membrane of the eye. The eyelash mask lasts for half an hour, then is removed with a napkin. To obtain a visible effect, you must use this method within 30 days.

If you suffer from problem skin on your face, you need to steam it and treat it with this tool. The mask lasts for an hour and a half, after which its remnants are removed with a napkin and rinsed with water.

If you have a lot of hair loss, then this remedy will also help to cope with this problem. It will be enough to mix castor oil with alcohol and fresh lemon juice in equal proportions. The resulting mixture is very useful to rub the scalp, and in the morning you just need to wash your hair.

It also helps to get rid of dandruff. Here it is used in combination with calendula tincture in equal proportions. It is also recommended to rub the mixture into the scalp and hold the mask for 30 minutes.

Despite this, a product made from castor bean seeds should be used very carefully, since there are many contraindications.

It is unacceptable to use these recipes for lactating and pregnant women, as well as for people suffering from chronic diseases, uterine or intestinal bleeding, as well as with an allergic reaction to certain foods. In addition, this remedy should not be used by young children under 12 years of age.

Conclusion

Castor oil plant is an unpretentious plant with great vigor of growth, which is grown mainly for decorative functions, since it has a very unusual shape and color of leaves. In addition, castor bean seeds are used in the treatment of various diseases, as well as in cosmetology.However, care should be taken as it contains toxic substances.

Castor oil plant: video about growing a plant