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What Kind of Plant Has Spined Red Seed Pods?

Spiny, red seedpods are notable attractions of two shrubs: the castor bean (Ricinus communis), which originated in tropical Africa, and the annatto (Bixa orellana) of Central and South America and the Caribbean. The seedpod spines provide a physical defense against consumption by herbivores, which is a good thing in the case of castor bean. It contains dangerously toxic compounds, whereas derivatives of annatto seeds, despite some allergic reactions, are often used in food.

  1. Annatto

    • Annatto is a rain forest plant sometimes referred to as the lipstick tree, due to growing up to 30 feet tall and providing color additives for cosmetics as well as food. It bears hundreds of orange-to-red seedpods that grow in clusters and are covered with fine, spiny hairs. As the pods open, they resemble the open beaks of baby birds. When sautéed in oil, the plant's seeds release a vivid-yellow food coloring that is common in Central and South American cookery as well as in butter and cheese. Although there is some concern about annatto consumption causing allergic reactions, it isn't poisonous.

    Medical Use of Annatto

    • Annatto seeds are high in fat. The Aztecs used it in chocolate drinks. Nowadays, the Jamaican-based website JAHerbs says, South American folk uses include medications made of the roots and leaves to treat asthma, cholesterol reduction, colic, fevers, high blood pressure, nausea and vomiting as well as digestive and prostate problems. In South America, pastes made from the seeds are also ingested for poisoning by cassava consumption and snakebites. JAHerbs notes that an annatto bean paste is used topically in Indochina to treat burns and reduce scarring.

    Castor Bean

    • Castor bean plants are lovely ornamentals, but should not be grown near young children. Castor bean plants can grow 15 feet tall and have star-shaped, green leaves with rosy veins color coordinating with the shrub's bright seedpods. Although castor beans contain toxins, they are also the source of castor oil, once used as a medicine but now primarily as a lubricant. Castor beans contain two toxic proteins: ricin and RCA (Ricinus communis agglutinin). Ricin is a deadly poison when swallowed. RCA causes red blood cells to clump and burst when taken intravenously. Cornell University says a dose as small as 1 mg of ricin may kill a person within five days of ingestion. In 1978, the University notes, a Bulgarian journalist was assassinated in London by being punched in the leg with an umbrella tip containing ricin.

    Uses of Castor Oil

    • Castor oil is pressed from the castor bean plant seeds. As a lubricant, castor oil is used in fine machinery and auto engines, plastics, paints, inks, soaps, linoleum, dyes, leather preservatives, waxes, polishes, cosmetics, candles and crayons. New Jersey's Union County College says that the toxins are not oil soluble and remain in the seed cake after pressing. Medically, the oil was used for thousands of years as a purgative, laxative and cure-all. It is still used in folk remedies, Union College reports, but medical professionals consider it a dangerous ingredient that can be toxic in large doses.

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