What is "abrus precatorius"

Jequirity \Je*quir"i*ty\, n., or Jequirity bean \Je*quir"i*ty bean`\ [Prob. fr. a native name.] (Bot.) The seed of the wild licorice ( Abrus precatorius) used by the people of India for beads in rosaries and necklaces, as a standard weight, etc.; -- called also jumble bead.

Licorice \Lic"o*rice\ (l[i^]k"[-o]*r[i^]s), n. [OE. licoris, through old French, fr. L. liquiritia, corrupted fr. glycyrrhiza, Gr. glyky`rriza; glyky`s sweet + "ri`za root. Cf. Glycerin, Glycyrrhiza, Wort.] [Written also liquorice.]

1. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Glycyrrhiza ( Glycyrrhiza glabra), the root of which abounds with a sweet juice, and is much used in demulcent compositions.

2. The inspissated juice of licorice root, used as a confection and for medicinal purposes. Licorice fern (Bot.), a name of several kinds of polypody which have rootstocks of a sweetish flavor. Licorice sugar. (Chem.) See Glycyrrhizin. Licorice weed (Bot.), the tropical plant Scapania dulcis. Mountain licorice (Bot.), a kind of clover ( Trifolium alpinum), found in the Alps. It has large purplish flowers and a sweetish perennial rootstock. Wild licorice. (Bot.)

   1. The North American perennial herb Glycyrrhiza lepidota.

   2. Certain broad-leaved cleavers ( Galium circ[ae]zans and Galium lanceolatum).

   3. The leguminous climber Abrus precatorius, whose scarlet and black seeds are called black-eyed Susans. Its roots are used as a substitute for those of true licorice ( Glycyrrhiza glabra).

Vetch \Vetch\, n. [Also fitch; OE. ficche, feche, for veche, OF. veche, vecce, vesche, vesce, F. vesce, fr. L. vicia.] (Bot.) Any leguminous plant of the genus Vicia, some species of which are valuable for fodder. The common species is Vicia sativa.

Note: The name is also applied to many other leguminous plants of different genera; as the chichling vetch, of the genus Lathyrus; the horse vetch, of the genus Hippocrepis; the kidney vetch ( Anthyllis vulneraria); the milk vetch, of the genus Astragalus; the licorice vetch, or wild licorice ( Abrus precatorius).

Abrus precatorius, known commonly as jequirity, Crab's eye, or crab's eye creeper, cock's eyes, rosary pea, paternoster pea, love pea, precatory pea or bean, prayer bead, John Crow Bead, coral bead, red-bead vine, country licorice, Indian licorice, wild licorice, Jamaica wild licorice, Akar Saga, coondrimany, gidee gidee, Jumbie bead ratti/rettee/retty, or weather plant, is a slender, perennial climber that twines around trees, shrubs, and hedges. It is a legume with long, pinnate-leafleted leaves.

The plant is best known for its seeds, which are used as beads and in percussion instruments, and which are toxic because of the presence of abrin. Ingestion of a single seed, well chewed, can be fatal to both adults and children. The plant is native to India and grows in tropical and subtropical areas of the world where it has been introduced. It has a tendency to become weedy and invasive where it has been introduced.