Sunday, September 19, 2010

Castor Plant/ Today's Flowers

Fruit (poisonous) of the castor plant (Rincinus communis)

Considered a striking annual in  gardens here in Ontario,  castor plant is a weed in parts of the southern United States where it is a prolific perennial.  For sure, wherever it grows it's a robust plant that looks quite tropical. This particular plant has large green leaves with red veins. 

Closeup of the spiny, poisonous fruit


If you love flowers -- and who doesn't - check out Today's Flowers at http://flowersfromtoday.blogspot.com/

26 comments:

Michelle said...

This is a lovely plant. Don't think I have seen it here in the south. Although, I have heard of castor bean plants that grow quite tall.

Kathy said...

Interesting that the flowers are toxic yet the beans aren't, although some would argue with that because it's the beans that is used to make castol oil! Ick!

Small City Scenes said...

Pretty but poisonous. Is this in your garden? Some people are even affected if they brush up against it. One can get a nasty rash.
Interesting plant though. MB

Gemma Wiseman said...

A striking red in this plant! Almost looks like a mini bottlebrush! Great shot!

Crafty Green Poet said...

such a handsome looking plant!

T. Becque said...

Well that's one pretty weed!

eileeninmd said...

What beautiful photos, love this flower and its color.

EG CameraGirl said...

MB,

No, not in my garden. This was growing in a small garden at a farm stand.

Kaori said...

It's always the bright and bold ones that are the most dangerous! But I'm enjoying them from your photos :D

Pat said...

Really interesting form, but probably not what you'd want in an arrangement!

Charlene N. K. said...

I'm also fascinated by the beauty of this plant. Very nice capture!
Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog. Yes, I realized that I didn't put a comment box in my nature blog, but now, I have it there. Feel free to comment.
Best regards.

Carver said...

Those are so vibrant and beautiful. I used to have a castor bean plant that grew as tall as a tree. However, one winter when it died I learned they were toxic to animals and so I didn't plant any more.

Carletta said...

I don't think I've ever seen this.
It is quite striking in appearance. The little red fruits remind of our gum ball trees.
Lovely images!

Carletta's Captures

arabesque said...

they look like Rambutans. ^0^
this is an extraordinary plant. something i haven't definitely seen.

Unknown said...

i love the vibrant color. my grandmother used to warn us of picking up something red in the wild. she said most of them are poisonous. this flower looks like achiote/annatto that we use here for food coloring and flavoring.

Francisca said...

This looks like it might be an interesting plant to dry and have in a year-round arrangement. I like the deep red. (Today is my first flower post... you may have inspired me, EG!)

Cezar and Léia said...

Indeed it looks tropical!
God bless you!
Cezar

Ladynred said...

These are stunning flowers. Love the colors!

Unknown said...

It's beautiful! You can find it everywhere here although I don't think it's endemic.

Jama said...

They look like little Rambutan- an Asian well liked fruits.

Rose said...

I love castor beans...mom always had them. And I had seeds to plant this year and totally forgot them! This is a beautiful shot.

Ebie said...

I never knew the name of this plant I saw at the Arboretum last Sunday. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Interesting how it looks so intriguing, yet it's poisonous.

paz

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Thisflaming red is so beautiful. We have a burgundy red one. Is this where castor oil comes from?

Darla said...

What an interesting structure, love the vibrant red.

Darla

http://graceolsson.com/blog said...

i like the first one.congrats
http://graceolsson.com/blog/2010/09/someonelikeyou/

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East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.