Flowers on Castor-Oil-Plant

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charlievictorbravo

Drone Bee
Joined
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Location
Torpoint, Cornwall
Hive Type
14x12
Number of Hives
2 - 14x12
Two Castor-Oil-Plants down the road from me are in flower and are covered in honeybees, bumble bees. wasps and various flies. Not sure if flowering at this time of year is unusual or whether it's a case of mistaken identity.

Whatever it is, it's providing a feast for lots of insects.

CVB
 

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Yes normal for this time of year the "false" caster oil plant, very similat to ivy
Wingy
 
Take care with children, the seeds are VERY VERY poisonous. Half a dozen will kill you
E
 
Is that Fatsia japonica that you're referring to?

CVB

Yes that's the one but looking again I'm not convinced which one it is. I have that one (fatsia japonica) in a large pot in the garden and another very similar but a climber in the border (can't remember what it's called) both are in flower now though
Wingy
 
Yes that's the one but looking again I'm not convinced which one it is. I have that one (fatsia japonica) in a large pot in the garden and another very similar but a climber in the border (can't remember what it's called) both are in flower now though
Wingy

After an internet search, comparing Ricinus communis, the true castor oil plant, with the false castor oil plant (Fatsia japonica), I think the shrubs that the bees were on is the latter (Fatsia japonica) because the flowers look different and are presented in a different way.

There's an interesting piece in the BBKA News for November (page 373) entitled Botany for Beekeepers that is the first of a series. Interesting for people like me who did not do Biology at school - just Pure Maths, Applied Maths and Physics. I even learned from that article the correct way to write the latin names of plants - see above!

CVB
 

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