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CASTOR BEAN PLANT

Common names:        

Castor Bean, Castor Oil Plant, Palma Christi

Scientific name:       Ricinus communis  

Explanation of scientific name:  

Ricinus       – the classical Latin name for this plant.  It is also the Latin name for tick.  The seeds of this plant resemble the bodies of ticks, and Linnaeus used this feature as a basis for the genus name of this plant.

communis  – Latin for common or general.