What do I need to know before or if I might want plant some castor beans? What part of this plant is posionus? Are anamils attracted to this plant? I live in the country and have cats and dogs.

At this time I don't have the seeds. I do have a catalog that is offering them and I was considering odering some.

My neighbor was asking about these also. His mother planted them around the chicken coop to keep fleas and ticks away. He's 79. Some of the posts below mention poultry being killed from eating the seeds.

http://waynesword.palomar.edu/plmar99.htm

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/castorbean.html

Lawrence posted this on dirt doctor a couple of years ago. He may have more information. I found it by doing a search on "castor bean" on dirt doctor.
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PostPosted: 17 Jan 2004 13:39 Post subject: seed trading? Reply with quote
have many organic luffa qourd and castor bean seeds to trade for whatever you may have. write me at centaurus421@aol.com for address.

Lawrence
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I'm not sure what I'll do.

Russ

I have castor bean plants in my yard. They are beautiful. I purchased seeds at a store while visiting in Mineral Wells. From what I understand, animals in the wild know by instinct which plants are poisonous to them and which are not. This is not neccesarily true with animals of domestication. Something (innate knowledge?) is sometimes lost when an animal does not have to fend for itself.

Plants that cause irritation: Amaryllis, carnation, cyclamen, daisy, fig, four-o'-clock, geranium, rue, stinging nettle, tulip bulbs

Plants with poisonous foliage: Buttercup, datura, delphinium, dieffenbachia, euphorbia, foxglove, iris, monkshood, oleander, philodendron, potato, rhubarb, rue, tomato

Plants with poisonous fruits: Castor bean, daphne, euonymus, holly, ivy, lupine, mayapple, pyracantha, wisteria, yew

Plants with all poisonous parts: Azalea, bleeding heart, boxwood, crocus, chrysanthemum, daffodil, hydrangea, lily-of-the-valley, mountain laurel, rhododendron, sweet pea
http://www.thenewhomemaker.com/poisonousplants
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http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/poison.html
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The following website names plants and identifies the part(s) of the plant that are poisonous to pets:
http://www.cah.com/dr_library/poisplts.html

Some of the poisonous houseplants include bird of paradise, caladium, Boston ivy, and umbrella plant; some of the outdoor plants, which are harmful to cats and dogs, include apricot, azalea, lantana, daffodil, and mistletoe.

Nadine,
Do you have dogs, cats, chickens or cattle? If yes, do they leave the castor beans alone?

Thanks, Russ

No, I do not currently have any of the above. There are one or two neighborhood cats, or at least there were...

Just kidding, they are still around. I have never seen any domesticated animals show particular interest in any of my plants. Squirrels and birds are another story, but I have never seen them eating on any of my poisonous plants, which include castor bean, datura http://www.life.umd.edu/emeritus/reveal ... /0787b.jpg, and Carolina jessamine http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/orna ... semper.htm to name a few.

Burches Nursery, midway between McKinney and Princeton have castor bean plants, cheap.

Russ

I would also use the Internet as a good source of information as well.