Castor for a bean

Castor bean and Green bean — take this sheet to the bed, not a guess to the kettle.

Castor beanRicinus communis

Green beanPhaseolus vulgaris

Deadly mix-upGarden

Castor for a bean

Ricinus seeds look like ticks, not snap beans. One chewed seed is a ricin problem. This is a poison-garden plant, not a pot crop.

Castor has palmate, peltate leaves and spiny capsules. Garden beans are legumes with typical pea-flowers and green pods. Never treat an ornamental seed as food.

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The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.