WILD RICINUS; a genus of the polyandra order, belonging to the moracea class of plants. There are 21 species; the only remarkable one of which is the tincturium, or plant from which the French turnsole is made. This grows naturally in the south of France: it is an annual plant, rising about 9 inches high, with an herbaceous branching stalk, garnished with irregular or rhomboidal figured leaves, which are near two inches long, and an inch and a quarter wide in their widest part. These stand upon slender foot-stalks near four inches long. The flowers are produced in short spikes from the sides of the stalks, at the end of the branches; the upper part of the spike is composed of male flowers, having many stamens which coalesce at the bottom; the lower part hath female flowers, which have each a roundish, three-cornered, germ; these afterwards become a roundish capsule with three lobes, having three cells, each including one roundish seed. This flowers in July; but unless the plants are brought forward on a hot-bed, they do not ripen seeds in this country. The seeds of this plant should be sown in the autumn soon after they are ripe, in a small pot filled with light earth, and plunged into an old tan-bed in a frame, where they may be screened from cold in the winter; and in the spring following the pot should be removed to a fresh hot-bed, where the plants will come up in a month's time. When they are grown large enough to be removed, they are then to be planted each in a small pot, and plunged into a fresh hot-bed, being careful to shade the glasse daily, until the plants have taken new root; then they should have air daily admitted according to the warmth of the season, and but little water given them. By this method only they can be brought to flower well, and produce good seeds in this country.

From this plant is made the turnsole used for colouring wines and jellies. It is made of the juice which is leached between the empannelment and the seeds; which, if rubbed on cloths, at first appears of a lively green, but afterwards changes to a bluish purple colour. If these cloths are put into water, and afterwards wrung, they will dye the water to a claret colour. The rags thus dyed are brought to this country, and sold in the druggist's shops under the name of turnsole.

The other species of croton are natives of warmer climates. From one of them, called the physic-nut tree, is obtained a milky juice, said to be applied to green wounds with success. The nut, when ripe, yields a considerable quantity of oil, a spoonful of which swallowed when fresh is of a purgative quality, and is proper for abating dropsical swellings.