The poor bean plant –more frosty woes

Poor bean plant! Frozen...

I have enjoyed my castor bean, bean plant. It grew so large for me. Over 3 m. Peculiarly enough, last year it flowered mid-August, and set seeds in the drought.

This year, despite perfect conditions, it flowered a bit late.
Yesterday it was a tall giant. This morning it drooped.
By the afternoon, it looked as bad as the skeleton!

By the afternoon, they drooped.

I don't think I'm getting seeds
this year!

The flowers and leaves
were so beautiful
-just last week!

Jack must have climbed this bean plant: overy 3 m tall!

UPDATE: it's too tall for my 3m tape measure!

Castor bean plant (Ricinus communis)

I saved the seed in a jar all winter.
The dried husks protect the black bean inside.

How do they start? With a seed!

March 26 - took a month to germinate!

For my regular readers, you might recall the 2012 bean plant. I saved the seeds from the plant last fall. Poisonous, if the seed coat is penetrated, they have been used in assassinations over the years. Animals can get to them, like rabbits who visit my garden. I carefully harvest them.

The ricin within the seed is water soluble. We know about poisonous plants (natural and invasive species) such as the Giant hogweed, Poison ivy and oak, Marsh Marigold, and the latest I've found: Wild parsnip, and Water parsnip. I'm on a course of Prednisone for boils the size of toonies. Self-inflicted, as I told them in the ER. Playing in the frog pond. They took hold when the pond dried up in the drought last year. 

Aug. 14th, 2012, it flowered

I planted the seeds early (April), about 5 in a pot. Only one germinated indoors, and I subsequently planted the entire pot of soil outdoors. The first plant grew well until two others began to sprout and the first one died. (?) The other two have been growing like stink. By September 1st, it has grown to 2.7 m tall, the 'wing span' of the largest leaf in 87 cm.

Daisy guards the first bean plant

Yep: 87 cm (34") wing tips to wing tip.
Cat on the cedar rail fence on the left.

wasp dwarfed by the leaf!

I planted these later, and they
just didn't grow as much.
Likely they needed more sun!

growing and growing

It's beautiful!

It dwarfs my hydrangea.

2.6m tall Sep. 1

Anatomy of a Bean Plant: seed to tall giant

March 26 - took a month to germinate!

Castor bean plant (Ricinus communis)
How do they start? With a seed!

I may have started the process too early. At least only one germinated, and they aren't crowding the pot!

April 15th - 3 more!

UPDATE: Three more seeds have sprouted!

They are amazing plants. Quite poisonous, but nobody eats my seeds, as I gather them carefully. NOBODY is allowed in my garden! 

Daisy sits in the sun, Bean Plant behind her!
April 4th

They contain ricin, which causes the blood to coagulate. Many, in overseas spydom, used poison to assassinate those they didn't like. Some used the bean for suicide.

MURDER

In 1978, ricin was used to assassinate Georgi Markov in 1978, a Bulgarian journalist who spoke out against the Bulgarian government. He was stabbed with the point of an umbrella while waiting at a bus stop near Waterloo Station in London. They found a perforated metallic pellet embedded in his leg that had presumably contained the ricin toxin. 

We know about poisonous plants (natural and invasive) such as the Giant Hogweed, Poison Ivy and Oak, and Marsh Marigold, but this one surprised me!

More information describing this plant is available under the government listing for Ricinus communis.

March 27

The seed coat must be damaged to allow water to penetrate the seed interior, thus releasing the water-soluble toxin ricin. Most reported cases of animal poisoning have occurred overseas where the seed is used as food and, if improperly treated, has caused illness and death. 

August: Bean plant grows on the left,
whilst Buster tries to reach the bird feeder!

June 14

-frost hits it in the fall
This is the smaller plant.
It needs much sun.

Seed pods in August