Why Castor Beans?

• Someone in a neighborhood near mine is growing Castor Bean plants in their front yard. I had always thought of Castor Beans as a waste plant that grew up, unwanted, in disturbed areas. Owing to its toxic nature I thought it a strange choice for a carefully planted yard. Are castor beans more common in landscaping than I thought? I pass this house often on my walks and I wondered why anyone would purposely grow castor beans in their yard. I came home and Googled http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_oil_plant. I discovered that there are many medicinal uses and Castor Beans are even used in some places to raise silkworms. So now I know that there may be any number of reasons someone would choose to grow this plant, but here is what made me think it seems odd. First, the plants were initially planted in the thin strip of yard between the side walk and the street, they grew big quickly and caused passerby on the sidewalk to brush past them, sometimes breaking or bending the leaves. The plant did not fit the space well and when winter came, the plants all died. This spring new Castor Bean plants have been planted in the exact same place and now more of the plants have been planted in other parts of the yard. These are individual plants, obviously transplanted into specific places, not a volunteer plant , not some seed that blew in and took root. Its neither here nor there, but Castor Beans are not naturally occurring in our area and they do not seem to do well, with out a great deal of care, which these plants obviously get. Someone puts a great deal of effort into these plants, they are being grown for some purpose. So I wonder, why would someone choose to put a toxic plant like the castor Bean in their yard? Do any of you know people that grow these plants on purpose? Are there medicinal or food usages that are common in other countries or in other parts of the US? Any gardeners out there, have you ever grown this plant, what reasons did you choose it? The reason I ask this anonymously, is that my first reaction was to wonder if maybe someone isn't using the beans to make Ricin. I want to make absolutely clear that I have NO EVIDENCE that this is the case, and I AM NOT ABOUT to go around accusing anyone of anything. I'd really just like to quell these little twinges of worry. I had a very strong gut reaction when I put Castor Bean plants together with Ricin, and although my intellect knows that worrying is most likely silly, my gut would like some reassurance.

• Answer:

  Castor beans are an extremely common ornamental plant.