Castor Plant
I grow Castor bean plants (Ricinus communis) every summer. We don’t have a particularly long growing season in Ohio and I’ve just got too much going on to start them early in the house. I don’t get them too big and they don’t often fruit, so I used to harvest seeds from this plant every year.
It’s hard to get the seeds nowadays because not only does it have industrial uses as well as being the source of Castor Oil, it is also the source of Ricin, a known bio-terror “substance of interest”.
That is, terrorists are known to seek it. If I’m in New Orleans late in the year, I stop by and collect seeds from the plant above. Then I shuck them in the car on the way home. I have scores of them presently. Now to subscribe to “Soldier of Fortune” magazine and Ted Kaczynski’s mailing list. THAT will get an unmarked van parked across the street from my house in a hurry.
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