castor-oil plant

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

castor-oil plant
    n 1: large shrub of tropical Africa and Asia having large
         palmate leaves and spiny capsules containing seeds that are
         the source of castor oil and ricin; widely naturalized
         throughout the tropics [syn: {castor-oil plant}, {castor
         bean plant}, {palma christi}, {palma christ}, {Ricinus
         communis}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Palma Christi \Pal"ma Chris"ti\ [L., palm of Christ.] (Bot.)
   A plant ({Ricinus communis}) with ornamental peltate and
   palmately cleft foliage, growing as a woody perennial in the
   tropics, and cultivated as an herbaceous annual in temperate
   regions; -- called also {castor-oil plant}. [Sometimes
   corrupted into {palmcrist}.]
   [1913 Webster]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Castor oil \Cas"tor oil\ (k[a^]s"t[~e]r oil`).
   A mild cathartic oil, expressed or extracted from the seeds
   of the {Ricinus communis}, or {Palma Christi}. When fresh the
   oil is inodorous and insipid.
   [1913 Webster]

   {Castor-oil plant}. Same as {Palma Christi}.
      [1913 Webster]

[email protected]