Rosary Pea (Oval, red, white hilum, blackish around it)

Rosary Pea Red Bean (With a heart shape in the middle)

【Naming】

Rosary Pea

n 【Source】n

Compendium of Materia Medica

n 【Frequency of Use】n

F

n 【Botanical Origin】n

The seeds of the legume plant Abrus precatorius L.

n 【Characteristics】n

The dried seeds are oval, a few nearly spherical, with a major axis of 5-7mm and a minor axis of 4-5mm. The surface is red, with a white oval hilum on one end of the ventral side, surrounded by a blackish area that occupies about 1/4-1/3 of the seed coat surface. The seed ridge is located at the hilum end and is a slightly convex straight line. The seed coat is hard and not easily broken. Inside are two cotyledons and a radicle, both pale yellow. It has a grassy smell and a astringent taste.

n 【Identification】n

The best quality seeds are large, with a red head and black base, bright color, round and full. nThis product is commonly known as “Chicken Mother Beads” in Taiwan. Many gift shops and small shops in the Kenting area call this the “red bean” from Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei’s poem “Acacia.” Young people send this Rosary Pea to express their feelings, which is incorrect. The “red bean” in Wang Wei’s poem is the seed of the legume Adenanthera pavonina Li, characterized by a heart shape in the middle, as shown in the color picture.

n 【Category】n

Seeds