Could it be a fatsia? Leaf shape looks similar to the one I have but the color is different.
Mystery Plant from Swap #1
Jap maple here also
A friend who is a horticulturist is visiting today. I'll ask her.
Castor bean (Ricinus communis). Love the red leaves.
Check the link I posted above (you have to wand down). Then click on the individual entries. Immature leaves look different then the mature ones (I've got a couple young Castor beans that look very close to the one you pictured above Artgal).
Thanks, Lilypon. If it IS a castor bean plant, is that an annual or an indoor plant?
I wasn't at the swap, please excuse the intrusion :) but that is a castor bean. Generally considered an annual for you but with protection amazing things can be accomplished!
LOLOL how true azreno:
posted bydulcimerdude On Mar 23, 2007, dulcimerdude from Britton, MI wrote:
I'm a castor bean lover from way back. I began growing the "giants" a couple of years back and have been very pleased. The first year plants grew to over 10' with the largest leaf about 30" across. Last year, grew to almost 14' with the broadest leaf over 36" across. This year, I started my indoor garden before Christmas, currently have plants almost 2' tall, so hope to get some 20 foot'ers this year.
Keep removing the flowers/seeds for as long as you can Artgal and you will have a monster on your hands. ;) However if you want it small leave them on. The seeds are very easy to grow so you don't have to worry about overwintering.
Yes, very easy to grow these from seeds, they are monsters for sure, but I love them!
Great info, thank you. Should I plant in a larger pot or in the ground? Any special fertilization or other conditions?
I would plant it in the ground for best results. I bought 3 different types last year off eBay and did grow those in pots since it was so late in the summer. They germinated fast but did not bloom until I moved them indoors for winter where they all bloomed and set seed. They only got a couple of feet tall in a pot though where they should be over 6 foot tall.
I agree, in the ground is best. They seem pretty tolerant of a wide range of conditions so I don't have a clue what they prefer.
If you have young children or indoor pets, you should be aware that caster bean is poisonous.
Beth
No young children and I don't think my dog would be interested. (Suspicions that he once ate a funghi - it looked like something had eaten it and he acted "weird" for a couple of days).
My dog chewed a castor bean I lost on the rug several months ago. After he chewed it up and found out it wasn't tasty he left it for me to find. I think most toxic seed has such a bad taste that it isn't ingested easily.
Needless to say, he is still as mischievous as ever. He likes to play in the mud too.
Castor oil is derived from the beans which is used in many different applications (including a laxative and helping women start labor).
He looks quite a scamp!
It's hard work chasing squirrels and killing bumblebees. He never figured out how to get the box turtle out of its shell though. This picture of him was last summer. This summer he was carrying a similar sized turtle around in his mouth. I had to rescue it and release it on the other side of the fence.
