This plant operated until castor production ceased in the early 1970s. Since that time, only limited plantings for seed production have been made. Some planting seed of the cultivar 'Hale' was exported to other countries during the 1980s. Although grown as annual plants, they act as perennials in the tropics and subtropics and the plants reach heights of 9 to 12 m. Soil conditions, availability of moisture, and levels of nutrients can cause considerable variation in height of plants.
Plants have a tap root, plus prominent lateral roots below the soil surface.
The petioles are usually several times as long as the long axis of the leaves. The main stem is terminated by the first or primary raceme, which often is the largest on the plant. The primary raceme of early dwarf-internode cultivars usually occurs after the 6th to 10th node. On later cultivars, the primary raceme may occur after the 8th to 16th node. In introductions from other countries, dwarf-internode types flowering after 40 or more nodes are known.