A friend brought me some seeds of this plant so I could get some shade in my newly established yard.  This plant is really beautiful and grows fast but I would like to find out what the heck it is.

Please help...

Origin: Southern Texas near Mexico

Seed Pods: red hair covering a shell with two Lima Bean looking seeds (black spots)

 Thank you,

MD

 

For any of our casual visitors, this plant was put up on our "What is this plant?" section and identified almost immediately. You guys are so good! I am amazed how people from around the world pop in to participate.

This plant is Ricinus communis and is used to produce Castor oil.

Patrick

 

I think it may be a caster bean plant.

 

http://wickedgardener.blogspot.com/

You have a lovely Castor Bean plant!  Was it a volunteer?

Someone told me the castor bean plant had a "fruit" that stank.  Does anyone know if that is true?  I think the plant is intriguing to look at.

Porkchop

This is a castor bean.  They grow to be very large and come in various shadings of color, according to the color of the bean planted. This plant is the source of castor oil.  Be careful with it:  the beans are poisonous!  They contain ricin, a poison, which is also present in lower concentrations throughout the plant.

The toxicity of raw castor beans is well-known, and reports of actual poisoning are relatively rare. Children could conceivably die from as few as three beans; adults may require eight or more.  Don't let your pets eat it, either. 

It is also known as "palm of christ" or "palma christi".

   Here is a picture of a castor bean from Wikipedia.  Read more here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_oil_plant