Identidad taxonómica

Scientific name
Ricinus communis L.
Canonical name: The scientific name without its authorship or date, for example Zea mays instead of Zea mays L.
Ricinus communis
Authorship: The author or authors credited with publishing the scientific name. It is written after the name, sometimes with the year, for example L. (Linnaeus) in Zea mays L. An author in parentheses first published the name in another genus or rank.
L.
Common names
Castor, Castor Oil, Castor Oil Plant, Castor Oil Tree, Castor Plant, Castor-Oil Bush, Castor-Oil Plant, Castor-Oil Tree, Castor-Oil-Plant, Castorbean, Castorbeantree, Castrobean, Oil Nut Tree, Oilnut, Reri, venna, Wond, Wonder Tree, castor bean, castor-bean, castor-bean-plant, maple weed, palma-christi
Names in other languages (122)Akain-belar, Amerikansk olieplante, Carpata, Carrapateira, Castor Bean (EN); Tartago (ES), Cheluch, Cicayon matzuy, Gənəgərçək, Higuereta, Higuerilla, Higuerilla roja, Hint yağı bitkisi, Ikibonobono, Ikibonobono (Ricinus), Jada, Karpata, Kerçik, Kinanga, Lepo, Mamona, Mamona-carrapateira, Maskreti, Mono, Morska kadulja, Mriwakatoto, Mũbarĩki, Palma, Palma Christi, Palmacristi, Paprastasis ricinmedis, Planda ola ricne, Planta de castor, Pokok Jarak, Québe'enogua, Ricin, Ricin commun, Ricin commun, Ricin, Ricin commun, Tantan, Ricin tantan, Ricinus, Ricí, Riitsinus, Risiini (kasvi), Rizinus, Rizinus, Wunderbaum, Riġnu, Rìcinu, Rącznik pospolity, Rīcinaugs, Skočac, Soo, Thiquelá, Thầu dầu, Trogenllys, Uluchulaskoki, Umcakuva, Umhlakuva, Umuthi wamagobongo, Wonderboom, Wunderbaum, Wunderbaum (DE); Castor oil plant, Zirman, agaliya, bafureira, belenivavalagi, bi ma, bloubottelboom, bosluisie, bosluisies, cagamuja, cagamutxo, carapate, carrapateiro, catapucia mayor, catapúcia-do-inferno, enfiter, erva-dos-carrapatos, figuera infernal, flor de la pasión, gelug, higuera del infierno, higuera infernal, higuerillo, hint yagi, jarak, ka'apeha, kamakou, kasterolie, kasterolieboom, kaʻapeha, kharwa'a, kloščevec, koli, kourtounia, la'au 'aila, lahung, lakseroljeplante, lama palagi, lama papalagi, mamoneiro, mamoreiro, maskerekur, mbarika, mbariki, mbele ni vavalagi, mbono mdogo, mfute, mnyonyo, mokhura, mokhure, mufuta, muplure, nhlampfura, oliepitboom, oljeplante, olumono, pa'aila, pakarana, pakarani, pere, aupere, upere, òupere, toi, pimaja, pititu, retsinoladia
Kingdom: One of the broadest ranks of biological classification. It groups organisms that share very basic features, for example plants (Plantae), animals (Animalia) or fungi (Fungi).
Plantae
Phylum: Rank below kingdom that groups organisms with a shared general body plan, for example chordates (Chordata), arthropods (Arthropoda) or vascular plants (Tracheophyta). In botany the same rank is also called division.
Tracheophyta
Class: Rank below phylum, for example mammals (Mammalia), birds (Aves), insects (Insecta) or monocot plants such as grasses and orchids (Liliopsida).
Magnoliopsida
Order: Rank below class that groups related families, for example grasses and their relatives (Poales) or bats (Chiroptera).
Malpighiales
Family: Rank below order that groups related genera. Family names usually end in -aceae in botany (for example Poaceae, the grass family) and in -idae in zoology (for example Felidae, the cat family).
Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Rank that groups closely related species. Its name is the first word of a species' scientific name and starts with a capital letter, for example Zea in Zea mays.
Ricinus
Specific epithet: The second word of a species' scientific name. On its own it does not name the species: it always goes with the genus, for example mays in Zea mays.
communis
Taxonomic rank: The level a name occupies in the hierarchy of biological classification, such as kingdom, family, genus, species or subspecies.
species
Reference species
Ricinus communis
Taxonomic status: Whether the taxonomic catalogue the record comes from currently accepts this name for the organism, or treats it as a synonym of another accepted name or as doubtful.
accepted name

Photos and conservation status

IUCN Red List category: The extinction-risk category that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assigns to a species on its Red List. EX Extinct: there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. EW Extinct in the wild: it survives only in cultivation, in captivity or as a population far outside its past range. CR Critically endangered, EN Endangered and VU Vulnerable: the three threatened categories, from an extremely high to a high risk of extinction in the wild. NT Near threatened: close to qualifying as threatened. LC Least concern: evaluated and not threatened. DD Data deficient: there is not enough information to assess its risk. NE Not evaluated: not yet assessed against the criteria. It describes the risk of the species worldwide, not its situation in a project's area.
Least concern (LC)
Source: IUCN Red List via GBIF, queried on 2026-10-09 14:12.
Photo of Ricinus communis L.
Photo: Raúl A. Ruiz M. · CC BY 4.0 · View original image · Original observation
Photo of Ricinus communis L.
Photo: insiderelic · CC0 1.0 · View original image · Original observation
Photo of Ricinus communis L.
Photo: Johannes · CC0 1.0 · View original image · Original observation
Photo of Ricinus communis L.
Photo: nasua · CC BY 4.0 · View original image · Original observation
Photo of Ricinus communis L.
Photo: Miriam Sachs Martin · CC BY 4.0 · View original image · Original observation
Photo of Ricinus communis L.
Photo: haemanthus · CC BY 4.0 · View original image · Original observation

Research-grade iNaturalist observations via GBIF, CC0 or CC BY licences only, queried on 2026-10-09 14:12.

Interacciones documentadas

GloBI says it is documented somewhere in the world. Biolitica answers whether it could happen here.

A documented interaction means it was recorded somewhere in the world. It does not mean it occurs here.

Types shown: 12 of 14 is a host of × is eaten by × interacts with (this species is the record's destination) × has as a parasite × interacts with (this species is the record's origin) × is visited by × is adjacent to × co-occurs ecologically with × has its flowers visited by × is an ectoparasite of × is preyed upon by × is an arbuscular mycorrhizal host of × 2 more types with data for this species

Blocks that do not sit under a navigation concept heading keep the source's own term: no navigation concept has been assigned to them yet.

is a host of 510 organisms

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it. In the source ontology symbiosis covers mutualism, commensalism and parasitism alike, so this block holds attackers and allies side by side.

Organism Reads as Studies Where it was documented Actions
Cercospora ricinella Mycosphaerellaceae is a host of 140 not compared
Spurge Rust Melampsora euphorbiae Melampsoraceae is a host of 93 not compared
Cercospora ricinella is a host of 78 no location
Alternaria ricini is a host of 37 no location
Showing 4 of 510, by number of studies See more of this type

is eaten by 164 organisms

This term does declare that the organism harms this species.

Organism Reads as Studies Where it was documented Actions
Lewis spider mite Eotetranychus lewisi Tetranychidae is eaten by 6 not compared
Asian dwarf honey bee Apis florea Apidae is eaten by 5 not compared
Jacobiasca boninensis Cicadellidae is eaten by 5 no location
Common Castor Ariadne merione Nymphalidae is eaten by 5 not compared
Showing 4 of 164, by number of studies See more of this type

interacts with 118 organisms

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it.

Organism Reads as Studies Where it was documented Actions
Common Castor Ariadne merione Nymphalidae interacts with 172 not compared
Spurge Rust Melampsora euphorbiae Melampsoraceae interacts with 11 not compared
Ariadne merione merione Nymphalidae interacts with 9 not compared
Wasp Trichogramma chilonis Trichogrammatidae interacts with 8 no location
Showing 4 of 118, by number of studies See more of this type

has as a parasite 49 organisms

This term does declare that the organism harms this species.

Organism Reads as Studies Where it was documented Actions
Wasp Trichogramma chilonis Trichogrammatidae has as a parasite 6 no location
Wasp Stethynium empoascae Mymaridae has as a parasite 4 no location
Trichogrammatid wasp Trichogramma achaeae Trichogrammatidae has as a parasite 4 no location
Wasp Arescon enocki Mymaridae has as a parasite 3 no location
Showing 4 of 49, by number of studies See more of this type

interacts with 17 organisms

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it.

Organism Reads as Studies Where it was documented Actions
Tree Tobacco Nicotiana glauca Solanaceae interacts with 2 not compared
Spurge Rust Melampsora euphorbiae Melampsoraceae interacts with 1 not compared
Rust Fungi Pucciniales interacts with 1 not compared Not a modelling unit: the source publishes it at order level.
Great Brome Bromus diandrus Poaceae interacts with 1 not compared
Showing 4 of 17, by number of studies See more of this type

is visited by 12 organisms

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it.

Organism Reads as Studies Where it was documented Actions
Apache Paper Wasp Polistes apachus Vespidae is visited by 2 not compared
European Honey Bee Apis mellifera Apidae is visited by 2 not compared
Passionvine Hopper Scolypopa australis Ricaniidae is visited by 1 not compared
Yellow-legged Mud-dauber Wasp Sceliphron caementarium Sphecidae is visited by 1 not compared
Showing 4 of 12, by number of studies See more of this type

is adjacent to 10 organisms

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it.

Organism Reads as Studies Where it was documented Actions
Cercospora ricinella Mycosphaerellaceae is adjacent to 20 not compared
Spurge Rust Melampsora euphorbiae Melampsoraceae is adjacent to 3 not compared
Myriangiales is adjacent to 1 not compared Not a modelling unit: the source publishes it at order level.
Dothiorella ricini Botryosphaeriaceae is adjacent to 1 not compared
Showing 4 of 10, by number of studies See more of this type

co-occurs ecologically with 4 organisms

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it.

Organism Reads as Studies Where it was documented Actions
Entrophospora lamellosa Entrophosporaceae co-occurs ecologically with 1 not compared
Dark Sword-grass Agrotis ipsilon Noctuidae co-occurs ecologically with 1 not compared
Rhizophagus intraradices Glomeraceae co-occurs ecologically with 1 not compared
Painted Lady Vanessa cardui co-occurs ecologically with 1 not compared
Showing 4 of 4, by number of studies

Flower visit

has its flowers visited by 4 organisms

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it. Visiting a flower is not pollinating it. «Pollinates» is a different term and a different block, and merging the two is the measured defect that turned ~88 shared «pollinators» into birds and primates.

Organism Reads as Studies Where it was documented Actions
European Honey Bee Apis mellifera Apidae has its flowers visited by 4 not compared
Madeira Lizard Teira dugesii Lacertidae has its flowers visited by 1 not compared
Neotropical Yellow Paper Wasp Polistes versicolor Eumenidae has its flowers visited by 1 not compared
Fox-colored Stingless Bee Trigona fulviventris Apidae has its flowers visited by 1 not compared
Showing 4 of 4, by number of studies

is an ectoparasite of 3 organisms

This term declares that the organism benefits this species.

Organism Reads as Studies Where it was documented Actions
American Pipit (japonicus) Anthus rubescens japonicus Motacillidae is an ectoparasite of 1 no location
Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus Tyrannidae is an ectoparasite of 1 no location
Japanese Coal Tit Periparus ater insularis Paridae is an ectoparasite of 1 no location
Showing 3 of 3, by number of studies

is preyed upon by 3 organisms

This term does declare that the organism harms this species.

Organism Reads as Studies Where it was documented Actions
Southern Green Shieldbug Nezara viridula Pentatomidae is preyed upon by 1 not compared
Bird Grasshoppers Schistocerca Acrididae is preyed upon by 1 not compared Not a modelling unit: the source publishes it at genus level.
Mottled Shield Bug Rhaphigaster nebulosa Pentatomidae is preyed upon by 1 not compared
Showing 3 of 3, by number of studies

is an arbuscular mycorrhizal host of 2 organisms

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it.

Organism Reads as Studies Where it was documented Actions
Rhizophagus intraradices Glomeraceae is an arbuscular mycorrhizal host of 1 not compared
Entrophospora lamellosa Entrophosporaceae is an arbuscular mycorrhizal host of 1 not compared
Showing 2 of 2, by number of studies

Acompañantes documentados

This agronomic reading comes from a source reserved for internal use, so it is not shown here.

Documented uses and recommendations

Uses and recommendations that a source documents for this species beside a crop, each in its own context. They are the source's statements, not traits of the species and not Biolítica's recommendations, and none of them is a relation between two species.

Among the sources you can read, none documents a use or recommendation of this species beside a crop.