The castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) is a plant species of the Euphorbiaceae and the sole member of the genus Ricinus and of the subtribe Ricininae. It is the origin of the castor bean which, despite its name, is not a true bean. The name Ricinus is a Latin word for tick; the seed is so named because it has markings and a bump at the end which resemble certain ticks. It is the source of castor oil, which has a wide variety of uses, and ricin, a poison (the ricin from 1-2 seeds can kill an adult).

Although castor is probably indigenous to Eastern Africa, today castor is distributed worldwide. Castor establishes itself easily as a "native" plant and can often be found on wasteland, near railroads and has recently also been used extensively as decorative plant in parks and other public areas.

Castor seeds have been found in Egyptian tombs dating back to 4000 BC. Herodotus and other Greek travellers have noted the use of castor seed oil for lighting and body anointments.

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