Plants varying from ephemeral herbs less than 1 m tall to tree-like herbs or shrubs 5-10 m tall with trunks up to 15 cm thick; stems hollow, young shoots often pruninose, purplish. Leaves stipulate, petiolate; stipular sheaths 1.3-2.7 c,m long; petioles (4-)10-30 cm long; blades up to 1 m across, (5-)7-9 (-12)-lobed, usually divided more than halfway to the base, middle lobes 7-30(-75) cm long, 2-8(20 cm wide, margins glandular serrate, tips acuminate, lateral lobes progressibely smaller. Racemes 10-30 cm long. Male flowers on pedicels 5-17 mm long; calyx lobes 5-8 mm long, (2-)3-5 mm wide, acute; stamens 7-8 mm long. Female flowers on pedicels that become 2-4.5 cm long in fruit, sepals lanceolate, about 5 mm long, acuminate; styles 2-5 mm long, usually red. Fruits 10-18 mm long, 10-15 mm wide, usually with soft, shiny processes 3-5 mm long; seeds 7-12 mm long, 5-8 mm thick in one direction, 4-6 mm thick in the other direction, shiny silvery grey or beige marked with brown; caruncles 1-2 mm long, 2-3 mm wide.
Ricinus communis is a widespread weed in Somaliland and Somalia that is often found in urban areas and along seasonally dry rivers. It is probably in all regions of the Flora of Somalia. It is also pantropical.
The oil from the seeds has many recorded medicinal and commercial uses and is produced commercially. The plants themselves contains a very dangerous toxin, ricin. When a few molecules of ricin enter a cell, they shut down protein production and the cell dies. If enough cells are killed, the organism of which they are a part dies.
Gu’yaal jire qotoma oo leh gun hoose oo qori leh iyo jirrid qudha oo dheer oo illaa 2 m ah. Caleemo talantaalli ah, cagaar dhalaalaya ah, xagga sare ka kala qaybsan, oo hareeraha sida miishaarta ka ah. Ubax dheddiggiisu casaan yahay oo uu ku yaallo xaga sare qaybtiisa lab oo caddaan ahina ku yaallo meel ka hooseysa surdhubta caleenta. Midho ku jira dahaadh goobo ah oo qodxo leh.
Sabo: Dhul cagta lagu badiyey iyo biyo mareennada qallalan, caadi ahaan magaalooyinka, joog ah illaa 1400 m.
Filiqsanaanta: Xero-u-dhalad ka ah Afrikada waqooyi bari, imikana kulaale xigeenka.
Fiiro: Waxa loo beertaa si midhihiisa saliid looga tuujiyo, saliiddaas oo dawo ahaan iyo warshadayn kaleba loo adeegsado. Midhaha waxa ku jira sun la yidhaa ‘Ricin’ oo biyaha ku milanta, laakiin aan ku jirin saliidda lafteeda. Inta badan ubaxa geedkani wuu ka ballaadhan yahay oo ka dhalaal badan yahay marka la beero ee aanu meelahaas kale ka bixin.
