Editing Ricinus (section)

== Ecology ==
[[File:Castor bean in distubred area.jpg|thumb|Plant in disturbed area]]

''Ricinus communis'' is the host plant of the common castor butterfly (''[[Ariadne merione]]''), the eri silkmoth (''[[Samia cynthia|Samia cynthia ricini]]''), and the castor semi-looper moth (''[[Achaea janata]]''). It is also used as a food plant by the [[larva]]e of some other species of [[Lepidoptera]], including ''[[Hypercompe hambletoni]]'' and the nutmeg (''[[Discestra trifolii]]''). A jumping spider ''[[Evarcha culicivora]]'' has an association with ''R. communis''. They consume the nectar for food and preferentially use these plants as a location for courtship.<ref name="Cross-2009">Cross, Fiona R., and Robert R. Jackson. "Odour‐mediated response to plants by evarcha culicivora, a blood‐feeding jumping spider from East Africa." New Zealand Journal of Zoology 36.2 (2009): 75-80.</ref>

Each castor seed has a yellow nodule full of fats one end of the seed that are nutritious for young ants. After hauling their harvest into their nests and pulling off the delicious part, ants discard the rest of the seed into their trash pile, where the future plant starts to grow.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}