States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

Castor-bean

Ricinus communis

Found in waste places, gardens. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

Highly poisonous

Not native to Virginia. Not suggested for planting. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 71%

Height
6–10 feet
Spread
2–4 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Highly poisonous. Serious poisoning risk if eaten. Excluded from default planting suggestions; keep away from children and pets. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual or perennial
Leaves
Evergreen

Not yet recorded · Bloom

Bloom: recorded only in the FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team) phone app (app page).

Recorded in 8 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

15CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Ricinus

  • Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
  • Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
  • Anarta trifoliiThe Nutmeg, Clover Cutworm
  • Anatrachyntis badiaFlorida Pink Scavanger Caterpillar
  • Anatrachyntis rileyiPink Scavanger Caterpillar
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Hypercompe scriboniaGiant Leopard Moth, Great Leopard Moth
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Show all 15
  • Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Euphorbiaceae
Hardiness
Zones 9a–11b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Yellow or green
Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Castor Bean; Castor Oil Plant

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankGNR
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources