Product Review

In frost-free areas, castor bean is an evergreen herbaceous or semi-woody large shrub or small tree that gets up to 40' tall and 15' wide. In the tropics, it can have a trunk that is woody near the base and up to a foot in diameter. Elsewhere, castor bean plant grows as an annual that can get 4-15' tall in a single growing season. This is a fast growing, suckering, colony forming plant with decidedly tropical looking foliage. They tend to grow straight up at first, developing branches only later in the season (and in subsequent years for plants that live that long). The huge leaves are palmate, with 5-11 deeply incised lobes. They are glossy purplish or reddish-green and 12-30" across, with long petioles (leaf stems). The stems are watery juicy and reddish or purplish too. The flowers are followed by reddish brown egg-shaped capsules, about an inch long, thickly covered with soft flexible spines. Ricunus communis sanguineus (Sanguineus Castor Bean) Notable features: The large, luxuriant, red-tinged leaves of this Castor Bean are effective as a focal point or backdrop and instantly add tropical flare to any garden. Best treated as an annual. Height: 400 cm (160"). Spacing: 90 cm (36"). Location: full sun. Flowering Time: July-August. Hardy zone: 9-10.