Ricinus
a genus of plants, order Euphorbiaceæ. R. communis is the palma christi, or castor-oil plant, a native of the East and West Indies and Florida.
Castor oil is obtained from the seeds, either by expression with or without the aid of heat, or by decoction, or sometimes by the aid of alcohol. Castor seeds, when taken whole, are extremely ac acrid, and have produced death; but the expressed oil is a mild and most efficient non-irritating laxative. The palma christi has been cultivated in Algeria for the purpose of feeding silk worms on the leaves.