Rosary Pea

A slender climbing legume with fine, feathery leaves, scrambling through scrub at the edge of the forest. In the dry season its pods split open and curl back to show the seeds: glossy scarlet, each with a black cap. It is also known as jequirity bean and crab's eye.

Those seeds contain abrin, one of the most toxic substances any plant makes. Like ricin, it stops cells making proteins. The hard, shiny seed coat keeps it sealed in, so a seed swallowed whole often passes straight through; a seed that is chewed, broken or drilled is a different matter. Admire, photograph, don't pick.

Even so, the seeds have been strung as beads for centuries, which is where precatorius, "of prayer", comes from. In India they were used as the ratti, a small weight for gold. The leaves taste sweet, and the plant is also called Indian liquorice.

In Khmer it is អង្ក្រេមអង្ក្រម, ângkrém-ângkrâm. In parts of the countryside the seeds are called ភ្នែកត្រី, phnaek trei, "fish eye", and village children have used them as play food in games of keeping house. The root is used in traditional medicine.