Description
A fast-growing shrub or small tree with large, star-shaped leaves and spiny seed capsules, grown for the oil pressed from its seeds.
Medicinal Uses
Castor oil, pressed from the seeds, is used as a traditional purgative and for skin and hair care; the raw seeds are highly toxic due to the poison ricin and must never be eaten.
Cultivation
A fast-growing, drought-tolerant plant that self-seeds readily; often found growing wild around homesteads and waste ground, and also cultivated for oil production.
