Castor Oil Plant — Flowers
Ricinus
Full sun, moderate watering — frost tender — shelter over winter.
- Plant out
- May
- In flower
- Jul, Aug, Sep
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Medium
- Difficulty
- Demanding
- Hardiness
- H2
- Season
- summer,autumn
- Height
- 100–150 cm
- Spacing
- 100 cm
- Pets
- Toxic to pets
Growing notes
Grows to 1-1.5 metres. Space about 50-100cm apart. In flower Jul-Sep.
Toxic to pets
The seeds of the castor oil plant, the mottled beans in the spiny pods, contain ricin and can be dangerous: a few chewed seeds can cause severe vomiting, bloody diarrhoea, dehydration and organ damage and can be fatal, for a person or a pet. Remove the seed heads before they ripen and keep children and animals away from them. Get medical advice at once if a person has chewed a seed, and contact a vet at once if a pet has.
→ NHS 111 for a person; your vet or the Animal PoisonLine for an animal