Castor bean (
Ricinus communis) is a perennial shrub, grown commonly for commercial purposes, for castor oil. It has thick, branched stems and triangular or elongated lobed leaves that are glossy with a prominent vein along the center.
R. communis produces clusters of cream or yellow flowers in the summer and large seed capsules that are green or red and covered with spines.
Toxic components
Lethal poisoning can occur in poultry with ingestion of as little as 0.1 mg/kg of the toxins present in
R. communis seeds.
The toxic chemicals found in the plant's seeds include ricinine and ricin. Ricinine is a type of alkaloid which causes seizures. Ricin is a highly toxic type of toxalbumin that is responsible for inhibiting protein synthesis, in addition to DNA and RNA synthesis.
Poisoning cases
Castor bean has been responsible for many poisoning incidents in animals, and in Europe, it is considered one of the most dangerous.
