Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Large
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Tropical dry forest
Range: Northeast Africa
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

The castor bean is a fast-growing tropical shrub whose glossy, star-shaped leaves can span over half a metre across. Its seeds contain ricin, one of the most toxic naturally occurring substances known, yet the same seeds are pressed to produce castor oil used in everything from lubricants to cosmetics.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Ricinus
Species: Ricinus communis