castor-oil plant

[ kas-ter-oil, kah-ster- ]

noun

1. a tall plant, Ricinus communis, of the spurge family, cultivated for its ornamental foliage and having poisonous seeds that are the source of castor oil.

castor-oil plant

noun

1. a tall euphorbiaceous Indian plant, Ricinus communis, cultivated in tropical regions for ornament and for its poisonous seeds, from which castor oil is extracted Also called (US and Canadian)castor bean

Word History and Origins

Origin of castor-oil plant¹

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

In some inland districts beans of the castor oil plant, which grows in great abundance, are a lucrative article of trade.

From Project Gutenberg

This is, if I recollect right, the castor-oil plant, and here are some of the castor-oil beans which Master Tommy has been eating.

From Project Gutenberg

The castor-oil plant (Ricinus communis) grows wild, but it is also cultivated in many plantations.

From Project Gutenberg

The castor-oil plant, he says, grows especially in Java, where it forms immense fields and produces a great quantity of oil.

From Project Gutenberg

She cultivated also the common castor-oil plant, and a larger shrub ('Jatropha curcas'), which also yields a purgative oil.

From Project Gutenberg