small spiky plant

by kim Sanderson
(seven springs, nc)

Small, green, squishy, spiky & round.
Dries up hard, spiky & has seeds inside. Hangs off branches. It was in a flower bed at south Jefferson, nc.


Drought Smart Plants reply:
Hi Kim - this is only a part of a plant, known as a seed pod. It's hard to tell what kind of plant it came from without seeing more of it, but from the shape and your description, I'm leaning towards Ricinus communis, the Castor Bean. If the seeds are beautifully marked in shades of black and brown and shiny, this will be it.

*POISONOUS*

All parts of this plant are extremely poisonous. Please, please, please, make sure that children or pets do not get into the seeds or any other part. This plant is of the Euphorbiacaea family, which contains some of the most highly toxic of all plants, not only if ingested, but also the sap can cause an incredibly nasty contact dermatitis reaction in some people.

Commercially this plant is used to produce Castor Oil which is extracted from the seeds, so it's not all bad.

Many people grow it as an ornamental plant, as it's very unusual in growth habit (huge) and the leaves can be up to a foot across (30cm).

Please use extreme caution when planting this in your garden, particularly if there are kids around.

Jacki


Find out more about Ricinus communis from Daves Garden.