The crab's eye/ rosary pea

 

 

Name: Abrus precatorius L.Symbol: ABPR3Synonym: Abrus abrus (L.) W. Wight

common name in Spanish: Peronía, ojos de cangrejo and also called pirulía
common name in English: rosarypea, crab's eye, Jumbee BeadsFamily: FabaceaeGrowing form: A woody stick, reaching about 3 meters long. The leaves are alternate, 8-15 pairs composed of thin and oblong leaflets. The underside is pubescent and has prominent central venation. Stipules are thin and elongated. The inflorescence is a small cluster of pale pink flowers. The fruit is a pod. Seeds are ellipsoid, bright red with a black spot around the thread.Habitat: It develops better in dry areas although it is common throughout the Island.They are native seeds from India and are found in all tropical and subtropical regions.

It is highly prized for making handcrafted jewelry for its color. They have a traditional use in the manufacture of catholic rosaries, as well as Afro-Caribbean Santeria.

Ingested seeds are extremely toxic to humans. It contains the most dangerous toxin known to man: the Abrin, not only that but also contains other toxins at lower concentrations. There have been cases around the world where people have intentionally ingested the seeds for the sole purpose of committing suicide. The ingestion of this toxins causes; black stools (diarrhea,) tachycardia, vomiting, dehydration, among other symptoms that require several days of hospitalization, and in some cases can lead to death.Drilling this seeds for making jewelry increases the risk of toxicity, making children and pets very vulnerable to accidental ingestion around the household (of the person who makes the jewelry and the person who finally owns it). The whole plant is toxic, but it is the seed that contains the highest concentrations of toxins. The most dangerous are the immature seeds, old seeds and perforated seeds because the protection that offers its hard shell is compromised on those circumstances. Personally, I do not work this peronía seed because I understand that my ethics as a professional artisan, are always above my duty of mantaining Puerto Rican traditions alive. It is a dangerous tradition that I personally will never support. My job here in this world is to help people develop a nice relationship with God, never to harm. I would not sleep knowing that a child may be in danger because of a rosary that I made. Nor could have the burden in my conscience to think that someone going through a difficult emotional situation,  might have at hand a way of hurting himself (herself). God bless you all and keep you safe. Spread the word.

(Sources: www.nrcs.usda.gov and www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Photos: From the web)