Ninety six varieties of Ricinus communis, L. were studied as for their growth habit, height, length and number of internodes from the base of the plant to its first inflorescence, types of branching, color of branches and various characters of leaves, inflorescences, fruit clusters, fruits and seeds ; earliness ; yielding capacity and porcentage of oil in the seeds. The description of several of the quantitative characters is supplemented by numerical data, which are also presented graphically. The extreme variability of Ricinus offers excellent opportunities not only for genetical studies but also for breeding new and better varieties for cultivation.