Crab’s eye has abrin which is a powerful poison. The seeds have red color with a black spot. The seed measures about 6 mm broad and 8 mm long which weighs 105 mg. When the seeds are swallowed, it is harmful. The Indian Goldsmiths use the seeds to weigh silver and gold. The flowers are small and light purple. The pod is flat and oblong; 2 inches long which contains 3 to 5 seeds. It turns back in order to disclose the seeds which are smooth and glossy. One seed is enough to kill adult. It shows the symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, liquid black stools, vomiting, drowsiness, cold sweat and fast or weak pulse.
| Name | Crab’s eye |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Abrus precatorius |
| Native | It is native to India and tropical Asia. It becomes invasive and weedy where it got introduced. |
| Common/English Name | Bead vine, Coral bean, Coral bead plant, Licorice vine, Crabs eye, Love bean, Prayer beads, Lucky bean creeper, Precatory pea, Prayer bean, Red bead vine, Rosary pea, Rosary bean, Weather vine, Weather plant, Black-eyed Susan, Indian licorice, Coral-beadplant, Jequirity, Jamaican licorice, Jequirity bean, Jumble beads, Jumbie beads, Love bean, Licorice vine, Love nut, Minnie minnies, Lucky bean, Prayer beans, Prayer beads, Precatory, Rosary pea, Red beadvine, Crab’s eye creeper, Wild liquorice, Cock’s eyes, John Crow Bead, Paternoster pea, Coral bead, Country licorice, Red-bead vine, Wild licorice, Indian licorice, Akar Saga, Jamaica wild licorice, Coondrimany, Jumbie bead, Gidee gidee |
| Name in Other Languages | Assamese: Raturmani, Liluwani Bengali: Chun hali, Gunja, Gunj, Gurgonje, Gunjika, Kuncha, Kunch Burmese: Ywe nge, Ywe gale Chinese : Xian xi teng, Ji mu zhu, Xiang si zi Czech: Sotorek růžencový, Sotorek obecný French (Reunion): Abrus à prière, Cascavelle, Arbre à chapelet, Graine diable, Liane à réglisse, Herbe de diable, Réglisse, Soldat, Réglisse marron, Jéquirity, Pater noster, Pois rouge, Grain d’église German: Paternostererbse, Paternosterkraut, Paternoster-Erbse Gujarati : Chanothi, Ratti, Gunja Hindi : Ganchi, Gunch, Guncai, Gunchi, Gunche, Gunja, Masha, Kunch, Ratti, Patahika Italian: Regolizia d’America, Falsa liquirizia Japanese: Tou azuki Kannada: Ganji, Gulugani, Gulganju, Gulugunji, Madhuka, Gungi Korean: Hong du Malay:- Kalimantan: Kenderi,Pokok tasbih, Pokok saga, Piling-piling, Saga Indonesian-Java: Taning bajang, Saga telik Malayalam: Kunni kuru Marathi: Chanoti, Goonteh, Gunja, Gunehi, Rati, Madhuyashti, Gunj Nepalese: Ratigedii, Laalgedii Oriya: Runji, Gunja Polish: Modligroszek pospolity Portuguese (Brazil): Jiquiriti, Jequirity Punjabi: Ratak, Lagrigunchi Russian: Abrus molitvennyj Sanskrit: Gunjaa, Raktika, Madhuyashtika, rati Serbian: Brojanice-očenaš, Jekviriti, Crveni grašak Sundanese: Saga areuy Tamil: Gundumani, Kunyi, Kundu manni, Kuntumani, Kunyimni Telgu: Gunja, Guriginja, Guruginia, Guruvenda, Raktika, Guruvinda, Thai: Cha em thet, Ma khaam tao, Ma khaek, Ma klam taa nuu, Ma klam daeng, Ma klam khru Urdu: Khakshi, Qirat, Surkh Vietnamese: Cam thảo dây, Dây chi chi, Cườm thảo, Tương tư đằng, Dây cườm cườm Africa: Ndé blé ni Bengali: Kunch, Chunhali, Koonch Gujarathi: Chanoti, Chanothi, Gumchi Tamil: Gundumani Malayalam: Gundumani, Kunni Farsi: Chasmekharosh Punjabi: Mulati Urdu: Ghunchi Kasmiri: Shangir Persian: Gunchi, Khurosa, Chashami Chamorro: kulales halom tano, kolales halomtano Chinese: ji mu zhu, xiang si zi, xian xi teng Fijian: lele, leredamu, lere ndamu, nggiri ndamu, ndiri ndamu Hawaiian: pūkiawe, pūkiawe lenalena, pūkiawe lei, pūpūkiawe Japanese: toazuki Korean: hong du Maori (Cook Islands): kirikiri rangi, koviriviri mata-tako, kōviriviri mata tako, uiui, pitipiti‘ō Niuean: pomea mata‘ila, mata‘ila Pohnpeian: kaikes en iak, kaigus Samoan: fuefue laulili‘i, matamoso, fuefue laulili‘i, matamoso Spanish: peronías, ojos de cangrejo Tahitian: pitipiti‘o, pepitio Tongan: matamoe, moho, matamoho Spanish: Pips, troughs, Pionia bejuco, guairuros, colorines, Canzero eye, jiquirití, peronias, pythium, Crab eyes Colombia: jealous, pear Cuba: jequirity, peony, Peony of saint thomas Haiti: cain ghe, Graines reglisse rouges, Graines reglisse noires, jequirity, because rouge, liane réglisse, Réglisse d’amerique, quinquet, Panama: Crab eye Puerto Rico: Crab eyes, perio Dominican Republic: Crab eye, peronia, peony, peronila Australia: Indian liquorice, Crab’s eye vine, Crab’s eye, Crab’s-eye creeper, Crab’s eyes, Do-anjn-jin, gidee gidee,Giddee-giddee, jequirity bean, jequirity, precatory bean, rosary pea, Pun-dir pun-dir Bahamas: Black-eyed susan, Crab’s eyes U.S: Crab’s eye, jequirity, rosarypea Estonia: Kee-palvehernes Guyana: Crab’s eyes, lickrish, kokriki, wild liquorice, paternosterboontje, petit panacoco India: gunj Indonesia: saga Jamaica Red: bead vine Jamaica wild: liquorice Lesser Antilles: Crab’s eye, jumbie bean, gwen léglis, wire wiss, liquorice plant Madagascar: masogaga, masomamboatorana, masonombilahy, matora, Voakatao, voamina, Corneaux yeux Malawi: ulangawiu Pohnpei FSM: Kaikes en iak Fidji: lele, read ndamu, ndiri ndamu, nggiri ndamu Dutch: paternostererwt, weesboontje Niuana: pomea mata’ila Sinhala: Olinda wel Swedish: paternosterböna, paternosterärt Tahitian: pepitio, pitipitio, Kundu-mani, Kuntu-mani Tongan: matamoe, matamoho, mold |
| Plant Growth Habit | Annual woody, climber, branching, deciduous, vine |
| Plant Size | Length: 10 m |
| Stem | Slender, branched |
| Leaf | Paripinnate, suboblong, 1-2 x 0.4-0.8 cm, pale-green, oblong |
| Leaflets | Oblong; Length: 2.5 cm; Width: 1.5 cm |
| Flowering Season | Summer |
| Flower | Small, pink, lavender or white |
| Pod shape and size | Elliptic; Length: 4 cm, dehiscent, turgid |
| Seed | 3 to 8, lustrous, subglobose, scarlet-red, glossy, hard, Thick: 3.5 mm; Length: 6-7 mm (< 1 inch) |
| Weight of 1 seed | 125 mg |
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