Ricinus communis

Owned by Efrain Cuellar (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Apr 02, 2019 by Leonore Reiser

Image Credit:

Alvesgaspar - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

Scientific name: Ricinus communis

Common name(s): Castor Bean

Name as shown in Phylogenes: Castor Bean

Ploidy: Diploid

Description:

Ricinus communis (castor bean)  is an oilseed crop that belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family, which includes important crops such as cassava (Manihot esculenta), rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) and physic nut (Jatropha curcas).

It is primarily grown for the seed oil, which is used for the production of high-quality lubricants. Castor bean seeds are also is the source of the toxin ricin, and thus is an important species from a biosecurity perspective.

Reference(s): 

  1. Chan AP,  et al. Draft genome sequence of the oilseed species Ricinus communis. Nat Biotechnol. 2010 Sep;28(9):951-6. doi: 10.1038/nbt.1674. 

Genome Database(s):

Castor Bean Genome Annotation
CastorBeanDB