castor-oil plant

American  

[kas-ter-oil, kah-ster-] / ˈkæs tərˈɔɪl, ˈkɑ stər- /

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.

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castor-oil plant British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of castor-oil plant

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

When in the same plant there are unisexual flowers, both male and female, the plant is said to be monoecious, as in the hazel and castor-oil plant.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 5 "Fleury, Claude" to "Foraker" by Various

Very singular are the seeds that have come to resemble beetles; among these may be mentioned the seeds of the castor-oil plant and of the Iatropha.

From Little Masterpieces of Science: The Naturalist as Interpreter and Seer by Iles, George

The castor-oil plant is a perfect weed throughout Ceylon, being one of the few useful shrubs that will flourish in such poor soil without cultivation.

From Eight Years' Wanderings in Ceylon by Baker, Samuel White, Sir

The castor-oil plant is everywhere common, and furnishes most of the oil of the country.

From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg

The chief vegetable purgatives are aloes, colocynth, gamboge, jalap, scammony, seeds of castor-oil plant, croton-oil, elaterium, the hellebores, and colchicum.

From Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology by Robertson, W. G. Aitchison (William George Aitchison )