Male. Empalement 5-parted. Blossom none Chives numerous.
Female. Empalement 3-parted. Blossom none. Pointals 3, 2-cleft. Capsule 3-celled. Seed one.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Ricinus, foliis peltatis alte palmato-novem-fidis serratis, petiolis glandulosis, capsulis undique spinis herbaceis.
Ricinus, with leaves peltated deeply palmate-9-cleft and serrated, with glandulose petioles, and capsules every where furnished with herbaceous spines.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. A male flower.
2.The male empalement.
3.The pointals.
4.A capsule.
5. A seed
The species of Ricinus here depicted, was raised in Lady Holland’s garden at Kensington last summer, from seeds sent by her ladyship from Malta, where the plant has been cultivated for medicinal purposes about four years; and where it is considered as a new sort. And such indeed it appears to us: for as a species, although it comes extremely near to R. communis, R. inermis, and perhaps R. medicus of Forskall, it appears to be sufficiently distinct; differing from the former and latter, in its deeper cloven, and more numerously lobed, and glandular petioled leaves; and from R. inermis, in having its capsules thickly beset with considerable, but herbaceous spines; whence our specific name of armatus, in contradistinction also to R. inermis, which has smooth capsules. The plant from which our drawing was taken was eight feet high and very much branched; and its ample yet elegant foliage, and red stalks and veins, communicated that kind of appearance to it which is often attributed to Asiatic plants—stately, and magnificent. Its root is biennial; it requires the protection of the green-house, and can be increased very readily by seeds, which should be raised on a hot-bed in spring, and afterwards transplanted into very large pots. There were two glands at the top of the petioles.
The valuable drug called castor oil is extracted from the seeds of this and other species of Ricinus.[Pg 141]
