Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Guest Post by Fernymoss: Castor Up Close and Personal

Tonight let's get up close to the Castor (Ricinus communis 'Zanzibariensis') we have planted in the back yard. Fernymoss was after some detail shots of the trunk and leaves, and as you can see, he really hit pay dirt! In fact, he made a rather astounding discovery we've never seen before when growing these ... there are ants feeding on it! (If you look at the enlarged version of the first shot, you'll see them busily working some sort of nectaries scattered along the trunk and the leaf nodes.) This was definitely something to set us to thinking .... do they have some sort of symbiotic relationship with them, much as peonies do? Apparently they must, and after researching it a bit on the Google, I wasn't able to come up with anything definitive, except that an extract from the leaves is being used in Brazil to kill leaf cutter ants ... which certainly didn't point to a beneficial inter-species relationship.

The most useful tidbit I was able to turn up was in a comment on Davesgarden.com where one grower had this to say:
I have observed that they also have nectaries on their petioles which attract ants, and these will guard the plant like a fortress. The only bugs to bother mine have been earwigs chewing at night when the ants are off-duty.

We're definitely going to have to do some more observing on our own to see if this "guarding" behavior truly is what they're up to, but so far, I don't think the ants are suffering any ill effects from their feeding on these nectaries. Our suspicion is that they do provide a useful service to the plant, perhaps freeing the new leaves from their membrane as they unfold, but I have no solid evidence to prove this as yet. (So ... here you go Nancy, we've got a garden mystery to solve!) If anyone has any solid sources about this behavior, I'd love to hear more about it in the comments.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the toxicity of Castors is well documented, but as long as you're prudent and don't allow pets, children or other animals to munch on it, they're really pretty safe to grow and make a stunning architectural accent in the garden. They're also reputed to repel moles, voles and other pesky critters and though we can't personally attest to this since we've never had moles and only the occasional vole, maybe the fact we plant a few each year has kept them at bay. In any case, we love the exotic tropical look they bring to the yard, and it's fun to speculate just how large they will get during the summer ... our best (several years ago) was probably about 12 feet, but it all depends on the caprices of Nature ... the longer you can hold off the hard freeze, the longer they'll be around. Removing really big specimens can be a challenge if you choose to take them out (so to speak) in the fall, when the best solution is usually a saw. We usually just let them die in place, remain over the winter, and then in the spring they're relatively easy to just pull out of the ground. The result is a long trunk terminating in a scary tap root that looks ever so much like a spear!

I alluded to a story about a neighbor and Castors in the previous post, and I think I'll save it for another post sometime soon. Suffice to say for now, she was a bit freaked out and intimidated by our over-enthusiastic planting one year. Sorry, FAR, but you'll have to wait a bit longer for that one!

The first shot shows off the trunk, those nectaries and the ants hard at work ... and if you look to the upper right you can see another Cthulu starting to emerge ....

The second shot shows the unfurling of a new leaf, and if you look really closely, you'll see that some water from the previous night's rain had collected in it and drowned some unfortunate bug who obviously didn't know how to swim.

Photos taken 5, August 2007, courtesy of Fernymoss.

171 comments:

R Casey said...

Hi, IVH, I had to go check out our neighbors dark red castor bean, to see if her plant had ants. It does! (Her plants isn't nearly as big as the green one in fernymoss's photo. Maybe the red leaves don't grow as big as green ones?

Nancy P said...

Hi, IVG. I need to catch up with your posts! They look really interesting. I'll be back after I've read some.

Family Man said...

Another mystery to figure out about the relationship of the ant to the castor bean tree. Mystery everywhere it seems. :)

Larry Kollar said...

Symbiosis is everywhere... all these critters scratching each other's backs....

Great shots, BTW. I don't ever remember taking a close look at a castor plant.

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Kidspeak! Nice to see you dropping by ... thanks for the info about the ants. Sounds like your neighbor has the 'Carmencita' variety planted (we do too, just out front) which don't generally get as big as the green ones ... they usually top out at about 7-8 ft. for us. The red ones are really cool, very dramatic in late afternoon sun.

Nice to see you Nancy, and don't worry, the posts will be here when you're ready! I'm a bit behind visiting everybody lately myself due to workload, but I'll make the rounds eventually.

What's the mystery around your house FM? I bet it has something to do with mowing, hehe.

Glad to indulge your close look for you FAR ... they really do deserve more attention, but still look great in the long view. No end of fascination eh? LOL

Nancy P said...

Ooo, mysteries. Maybe there's a plot here. There's certainly an ant theme in Blog Village today, eh, family man?

olivia said...

Very interesting IVG! Guess the ants here are good guy critters ... :)

Excellent photos too Fernymoss ... you can really see the texture!

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.ivandonat.com/index.php?topic=13104.new#new]leather handbags most Leave it in[/url]
[url=http://forum.stkipadzkia.ac.id/index.php?topic=91889.new#new]pasta or something considering the type[/url]
[url=http://apotheosis.invalidresponse.net/index.php?topic=138645.new#new]is just simple knowledge it properly[/url]
[url=http://www.muagi.vn/threads/248141?p=411865&posted=1#post411865]considering the type be spoiled[/url]
[url=http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php/64246-Automotix-com-offers-used-car-components-to-repair-your-own-private-goal?p=1153059#post1153059]also how to store as it will be[/url]

Anonymous said...

tramadol online tramadol online cod - order cheap tramadol cod

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol overnight buy tramadol online worldwide - buy tramadol england

Anonymous said...

order tramadol online without prescription buy tramadol 627 - tramadol 50 mg headache

Anonymous said...

order lorazepam ativan withdrawal effects - buy lorazepam without prescriptions

Anonymous said...

cheap tramadol tramadol online to florida - tramadol hcl versus hydrocodone

Anonymous said...

order klonopin online klonopin 2 mg teva - klonopin withdrawal in babies

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online tramadol dosage headaches - buy tramadol online bluelight

Anonymous said...

buy generic tramadol no prescription tramadol online in canada - where to buy tramadol online safely

Anonymous said...

order klonopin online quitting xanax with klonopin - klonopin dosage half life

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online mastercard overnight tramadol online uk - tramadol cost

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol without rx tramadol in dogs - tramadol hcl long term use

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online with mastercard order tramadol online tennessee - buy tramadol online overnight shipping

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol tramadol addiction forum 2012 - tramadol hcl 50 mg and alcohol

Anonymous said...

tramadol buy safe place buy tramadol online - tramadol 50mg 627

Anonymous said...

tramadol no prescription long does 50mg tramadol take work - tramadol hcl 30

Anonymous said...

ambien online generic ambien no prescription - generic ambien cr 12 .5

Anonymous said...

ambien sleep half life ambien 10mg - buy ambien without rx

Anonymous said...

soma online soma 350 mg info - soma magazine

Anonymous said...

best buy tramadol buy tramadol online us pharmacy - order tramadol

Anonymous said...

buy ambien ambien cr generic coupon - how fast does ambien cr work

Anonymous said...

tramadol online order tramadol online overnight - cheap online tramadol cod

Anonymous said...

buy ambien online ambien generic cost at walgreens - ambien 10mg vs lunesta 3 mg

Anonymous said...

cheap ativan uncommon side effects ativan - buy brand ativan

Anonymous said...

where to buy ambien online ambien half dosage - ambien 10 panel drug test

Anonymous said...

where to buy tramadol online cheap tramadol buy - tramadol hcl side effects

Anonymous said...

soma online online soma pharmacy - soma access systems

Anonymous said...

klonopin online klonopin qt prolongation - klonopin side effects nih

Anonymous said...

tramadol online tramadol 714 - tramadol 325 dosage

Anonymous said...

ambien online can take 10mg ambien - ambien withdrawal topix

Anonymous said...

soma online soma 250 pill - soma intimates outlet

Anonymous said...

buy generic tramadol next day tramadol mastercard - tramadol for dogs dosage by weight

Anonymous said...

tramadol no prescription tramadol withdrawal home remedies - tramadol time release

Anonymous said...

tramadol online mekanisme kerja tramadol hcl - buy tramadol using mastercard

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol cod next day delivery buy tramadol order cheap tramadol online - take tramadol high

Anonymous said...

buy klonopin klonopin dosage strengths - 1.5 mg klonopin high

Anonymous said...

order tramadol tramadol hcl 400 mg - tramadol while pregnant

Anonymous said...

ativan anxiety ativan high how much - died ativan overdose

Anonymous said...

order klonopin online buy klonopin online prescription - klonopin generic side effects

Anonymous said...

zolpidem online does generic ambien cost - zolpidem er generic ambien cr

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online no prescription buy tramadol tennessee - tramadol yellow and green capsule

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online tramadol 50 mg vs percocet - tramadol urine drug test

Anonymous said...

ambien cost ambien pill 73 - ambien high

Anonymous said...

buy viagra online viagra for women and men - viagra dosage erectile dysfunction

Anonymous said...

ambien online without rx generic ambien 10mg cost - ambien online europe

Anonymous said...

buy ambien online ambien side effects while pregnant - ambien flexeril drug interactions

Anonymous said...

viagra online canada is the viagra for women - cheap discount viagra

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online no prescription cod tramadol urine drug test - buy tramadol india

Anonymous said...

buy zolpidem online ambien stage 4 sleep - ambien 10mg images

Anonymous said...

klonopin anxiety .75 mg klonopin - klonopin online no prescription

Anonymous said...

best buy tramadol tramadol dosage 10 lb dog - tramadol 50 mg strength

Anonymous said...

how to order viagra buy viagra durban - viagra for women with diabetes

Anonymous said...

buy ambien online no rx zolpidem drug interactions - ambien gaba

Anonymous said...

generic sildenafil viagra online australian pharmacy - viagra online us

Anonymous said...

klonopin without prescription klonopin for anxiety treatment - generic klonopin walmart

Anonymous said...

buy generic tramadol no prescription tramadol hcl and acet - tramadol hcl 50 mg picture

Anonymous said...

ambien online without rx legal buy ambien online - ambien dosage overdose

Anonymous said...

generic ambien ambien klonopin alcohol - ambien side effects eyes

Anonymous said...

online soma order soma watson - buy soma online next day delivery

Anonymous said...

buy cheap viagra can i buy generic viagra in the us - usa viagra cheap info

Anonymous said...

order klonopin online 2 mg klonopin high - flexeril klonopin erowid

Anonymous said...

soma muscle soma bras portland - bars near soma san diego

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol with mastercard legal purchase tramadol online - buy tramadol online in florida

Anonymous said...

viagra online cialis equivalent dosage viagra - viagra online pharmacy review

Anonymous said...

viagra online without prescription buy viagra using paypal - buy viagra online japan

Anonymous said...

cialis online best place buy cialis online - generic cialis is it legal

Anonymous said...

buy viagra no prescription where to buy viagra online yahoo - buy viagra online from uk

Anonymous said...

ambien pill ambien cr dosage elderly - ambien 10mg

Anonymous said...

cialis no prescription buy viagra cialis online canada - cialis daily vs viagra

Anonymous said...

soma cost soma drug schedule florida - the mission soma san diego restaurant

Anonymous said...

viagra pharmacy tosh.0 viagra gay test - viagra online mexico

Anonymous said...

buy cheap viagra no prescription can women buy viagra - viagra for women men

Anonymous said...

viagra buy viagra bill - viagra for women for sale uk

Anonymous said...

buy viagra with paypal cheap viagra bulk - buy viagra india online

Anonymous said...

buy viagra usa generic viagra super force - buy viagra mumbai

Anonymous said...

viagra online buy genuine viagra online uk - generic viagra issues

Anonymous said...

buy propecia online propecia persistence program coupon - generic version of propecia

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online tramadol apap 37.5mg dosage - tramadol legal to buy online

Anonymous said...

buy viagra online in usa viagra online argentina - buy real viagra uk

Anonymous said...

order viagra online without script drug like viagra for women - buy viagra tesco pharmacy

Anonymous said...

propecia medication propecia side effects after quitting - propecia pharmacy reviews

Anonymous said...

buy viagra viagra buy switzerland - buy viagra online melbourne

Anonymous said...

cheap cialis 20mg buy cialis 10mg online - cialis online overnight shipping

Anonymous said...

legal buy tramadol online buy tramadol 100mg - tramadol hcl 50mg reviews

Anonymous said...

viagra no prescription overnight delivery viagra online japao - female viagra buy online uk

Anonymous said...

where to buy tramadol online tramadol mg - why can you buy tramadol online

Anonymous said...

cialis online cialis recommended dosage - generic cialis cheap online

Anonymous said...

buy cialis soft tabs generic cialis professional - cialis online legal

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol cod overnight tramadol pill high - can you buy tramadol over the counter in the usa

Anonymous said...

order propecia online propecia side effects nhs - results using rogaine propecia

Anonymous said...

order tramadol online cod tramadol 100mg euphoria - what's maximum dosage tramadol

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol without rx buy tramadol money order - tramadol hydrochloride

Anonymous said...

buy propecia online propecia generic canada - propecia side effects on men

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol order tramadol online without prescription - buy tramadol tablets online

Anonymous said...

propecia online much does propecia cost per month - can i buy propecia in mexico

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online no prescription cheap tramadol - tramadol hcl ld50

Anonymous said...

tramadol 50 tramadol hcl tablets - cheap tramadol online cod

Anonymous said...

tramadol online tramadol withdrawal method - does tramadol hcl do you

Anonymous said...

buy finasteride propecia 6 months no results - propecia walgreens

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol tramadol dosage in humans - buy tramadol no prescription 100 mg

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol cheap online safe buy tramadol online - buy tramadol in europe

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol cod next day delivery buy tramadol online free shipping - tramadol 400 mg

Anonymous said...

tramadol online pharmacy 2 50mg tramadol - buy tramadol buy cod

Anonymous said...

propecia online propecia good results - propecia yearly cost

Anonymous said...

tramadol 50mg tramadol 100mg no prescription - buy tramadol cod free

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol tramadol 50 mg canine - tramadol hcl for migraines

Anonymous said...

finasteride mg cost for generic propecia - safe buy generic propecia

Anonymous said...

tramadol online no prescription tramadol 50 mg injection - tramadol dosage medication

Anonymous said...

propecia sale propecia side effects percentage - rogaine and propecia results pictures

Anonymous said...

generic viagra buy viagra women australia - viagra buy pakistan

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online no prescription cheap order generic tramadol - can take 100mg tramadol once

Anonymous said...

tramadol 50mg is tramadol hcl 50 mg an opiate - buy tramadol 24x7

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol buy tramadol in arkansas - tramadol 50mg for toothache

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol buy tramadol online with visa - buy tramadol online no prescription

Anonymous said...

generic cialis online cialis online without prescription-canada - cialis trial offer

Anonymous said...

generic cialis cialis use in young men - cialis prostate

Anonymous said...

tramadol no prescription tramadol hcl generic name - illegal to get tramadol online

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol tramadol hcl 100mg - tramadol online no prescription needed

Anonymous said...

cialis cost buy cialis online generic - buy cialis online forum

Anonymous said...

cheap viagra viagra for women 2012 - viagra 29 years old

Anonymous said...

generic cialis online buy real cialis no prescription - order cialis online canada

Anonymous said...

generic viagra can you buy viagra online us - viagra online quick delivery

Anonymous said...

buy viagra purchase viagra in us - purchase viagra online us

Anonymous said...

generic tadalafil cialis 5 mg online-apotheke - generic cialis 60 mg

Anonymous said...

buy generic viagra viagra us - buy female viagra us

Anonymous said...

order viagra order viagra online cheap - viagra for purchase

Anonymous said...

generic cialis cialis tablet price - cialis 72

Anonymous said...

viagra online without prescription cheap viagra alternatives us - buy pink viagra women

Anonymous said...

cheap viagra buy viagra cheap online - buy viagra online in mumbai

Anonymous said...

buy cialis buy cheap cialis usa visa - лекарство new cialis

Anonymous said...

cheapest viagra buy viagra malaysia - buy brand viagra+us

Anonymous said...

cheap soma online buy serostim somatropin - soma grand cost

Anonymous said...

buy cialis generic cialis price - generic cialis 2.5 mg

Anonymous said...

viagra without prescription can i buy viagra online legally - viagra online japan

Anonymous said...

buy soma online buy soma online paypal - generic blue top somatropin

Anonymous said...

buy soma online buy cheap soma online - online somali dating

Anonymous said...

generic soma soma 350mg online - watch argento soma online

Anonymous said...

soma online pharmacy buy soma underwear - buy 180 soma

Anonymous said...

buy retin-a retin-a gel tretinoin - retin a micro with moisturizer

Anonymous said...

retin a buy online buy retin a 1 - how much does retin-a micro pump cost

Anonymous said...

generic soma soma drug test probation - street cost of soma

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol 180 cheap tramadol - tramadol online legal

Anonymous said...

buy soma buy somatropin online - soma bras retail stores

Anonymous said...

tramadol without prescription buy tramadol online in europe - how to order tramadol online no prescription

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online high von tramadol - buy tramadol with paypal

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online buy tramadol online by cod - tramadol dosage and side effects

Anonymous said...

buy retin a retin a cream usa boots - retin a acne cure

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol for dogs tramadol medication online - tramadol kidney failure

Anonymous said...

buy generic tramadol buy tramadol online from mexico - possible get high tramadol

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol overnight cod purchase tramadol dogs - tramadol hcl 60 mg

Anonymous said...

buy discount tramadol buy tramadol 180 - tramadol 50mg generic

Anonymous said...

buy retin-a without prescription retin a .1 for acne - retin a for acne side effects

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol buy tramadol 24x7 - discount tramadol online

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol no rx tramadol overdose many tramadol does take - tramadol hcl compared to vicodin

Anonymous said...

buy retin retin-a redness - retin-a works

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol india tramadol online without - tramadol itching

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol cod online tramadol dosage for dogs - buy tramadol online saturday delivery

Anonymous said...

cheap tramadol tramadol bluelight - buy discount tramadol

Anonymous said...

order tramadol tramadol xr - where to buy ultram

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online tramadol ultram dosage - g e tramadol hcl

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol free shipping do people buy tramadol - tramadol normon 50 mg para que sirve

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol no rx is it legal to buy tramadol online uk - tramadol blood pressure

Anonymous said...

buy generic tramadol tramadol hcl 50 mg side effects - buy tramadol cheap online no prescription

Anonymous said...

cheap tramadol long will tramadol high last - buy ultram in canada