10 Abrus precatorius Seeds - Lucky Bean Creeper / Black-eyed Susan / Rosary Pea

Abrus precatorius Seeds

Common Names: Lucky Bean Creeper / Black-eyed Susan / Rosary Pea

The plant is a slender twiner with alternately placed compound leaves. Each leaf has about 20 pairs of narrow, oblong leaflets, looking like a delicate feather. The rose to purple flowers are crowded at the end of a stalk. Fruits are short, inflated pods, splitting open when mature to reveal the round, hard and shiny seeds which are scarlet but black at the base. The plant is native to the tropics. It grows by the seashore among the undergrowth and in hedges. Seeds when broken or chewed or when the external coat is removed are toxic. The highly attractive seeds are sought after by children for beads. They are sometimes made into necklaces and rosaries. Abrus species are the most poisonous plants in the world. The glycoprotein Abrin (agglutinin, toxalbumin) is a potent plant toxin: microgram quantities are suficient to kill a man, and just like ricin lectin poisoning there is no antidote. Merck 12th Edition describes Abrin as "a toxic lectin and hemagglutinin obtained from the seeds of jequirity, Abrus precatorius L., Leguminosae, a common vine of tropical countries, also found in central and southern Florida." Note that the word "abrine" refers to a totally different chemical, N-Methyl-L-Tryptophan and the two should not be confused. Some sources (including this page in previous versions) write Abrin as 'abrine' although this should be avoided. The protein binds to the rybosomes in the cell and prevents it from producing proteins. A person dies within 4-5 days with symptoms of hemorrhagic fever. There is some history of use in traditional medicine and DMT has been found in the seed / bean. The following is a potentially confusing quote from Alexander Shulgin who mentions that Abrine (N-Methyl-L-Tryptophan) is also found in the Abrin-toxin producing A. precatorius seeds. "N-Methyltryptophan (L-(+)-Abrine, or simply Abrine) is widely distributed throughout the plant world. It is a major component of the Rosary Pea (the Jequirity Bean) which has the botanical name Abrus precatorius and which has enjoyed some popular use as an insecticide. The toxicity of this rather poisonous plant is apparently not in its alkaloid composition but in its protein fraction. Abrine itself has shown some tumor inhibition properties in rats, but the search for possible pharmacology was disappointing. But be careful. The name "Abrin" is quite a different item. It is an extremely toxic protein from this same plant. The seeds of this plant have been used for poisoning people, and are very nasty. N,N-Dimethyltryptophan has also been found in the Jequirity Bean seeds and several other plants, but other than having being described as a plant growth inhibitor, it is unknown pharmacologically." -- Dr Alexander Shulgin, Sep 19 2002.Cooking it will destroy the toxin, but if the inside of the seed is deoleated by acetone and then ground you will get one of the five most potent biochemical weapons known to man. This plant is not for playing around! Abrine's toxin is fourth, only behind the botulinum, schigella and tetanus toxin.

You're buying a pack of 10 Seeds

 We'll supply you with all the germination & care instructions.

See lots more interesting and unusual plant seeds by following the link below. Thanks.

CLICK HERE