The Castor bean plant (Ricinus cummunis) belongs to the family
Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family. It is a short-lived perennial, which grows into a tree of eight to ten meters in height. There are annual dwarftypesofO.6m-1.2m in height. The leaves are large, usually 2 cm - Scmwide or wider, alternate and palmately divided into S- 10 lobes. The leaves of different varieties may be green, purple or red. (Plate 1)The stems may also be green or red. The greenish-yellow flowers, without petals are borne in racemes. The plant has an indeterminate blooming habbit.