A Bigger, Better (?) Castor Bean
Margaret Ransohoff
I've been a fan of the annual red castor bean (ricinis communis) plant for years. They are big, showy and easy to grow from seeds which can be collected each fall. With their deep red leaves, stems and brighter red seed pods, they are always a show-stopper in the garden. Mine grow anywhere from 4 to 8 feet tall.
As I was perusing the seed catalogs last spring, I noticed a different version (castor bean Zanzibariensis), billed as a "monster sized castor bean". It said the variety is from Zanzibar and would reach from 12 to 15 feet in one season. This I had to try.
They weren't kidding. As you can see from the photo, they are incredibly tall. A neighbour said they look like something from Jurassic park! And the leaves are about 2 feet across. They do not have the rich coloring of the more familiar red castor bean (you can see one of those to my right in the photo), but the size is so dramatic.
I plan to collect seeds from both varieties and plant them together again next year -- you can't argue with success!
Castor bean plants are toxic to people and pets.