Carrapateira

Common name for Ricinus communis, a plant native to Tropical Africa. It has palmately divided leaves, large capsules covered with long soft spines, and is common in the lower region of Madeira, where it presents a shrub-like or almost tree-like form. Castor oil is extracted from the seeds of this Euphorbiaceae, widely used as a purgative. The carrapateiras repel flies.