• Family : EUPHORBIACEAE
  (SPURGE FAMILY)
• Family (as per The Plant List) : Euphorbiaceae
• Species : Ricinus communis
• Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Ricinus communis L.
• Common name : Castor Plant
• Vernacular name : Aerandi, Aerand, Arandi (Hin.); Oudala, Haralu, Manda (Kan.); Aamanakku, Kottaimuthu (Tam.); Amudamu chettu (Tel.); Erand, Jada, Gab (Ori.); Aeradand (San.)
• Key identification features : A moderate-sized plant. Leaves are very broad with many triangular lobes and pointed tip, ash green in colour, long-stalked. Flowers are unisexual and occur on the same plant in clusters at the branch end. Fruit is a 3-lobed capsule.
• Habit : Shrub
• Flower, Fruit : Throughout the Year
• Native : Tropical Africa
• Comments : Occasional on plains to hills up to 1400 m. Often seen growing in wastelands and around villages. Also planted for its seed oil which is the commercial source of Castor.
• Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
• Distribution Locality : Throughout Eastern Ghats
• World Distribution : Cultivated throughout tropics
• Literature : H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 3 ; R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District ; R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District; H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipal, Orissa; Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (2). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983.
• Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Arun Singh R., Deepak Kumar, Raja K Swamy and Navendu Page (2016). Digital Flora of Eastern Ghats. http://easternghats.ces.iisc.ernet.in/plants.php?name=Ricinus communis. Downloaded on 27 June 2024.

Description

Field Images