The rosary pea is an evergreen vine in the bean family (Fabaceae) that is native to India and parts of tropical Asia. It was imported to Florida and is now listed as a noxious weed and is on the Federal Noxious Weed List. It is illegal to grow this poisonous plant. This plant grows as a twining vine and can climb over trees and shrubs, invading both undisturbed and disturbed areas. The deep taproot makes it difficult to eradicate. The shiny red and black seeds are very uniform in shape and have been used as a measure of weight and for jewelry. Birds will eat the fruits, spreading the seeds, and are unaffected by the poison. The pea-shaped flowers grow in clusters in the axils of the compound leaves. Control of the plant is by hand pulling, aggressive tilling and chemical applications.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Available space
12-24 feet
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
6 - Vine (vertical)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Spreading
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen; Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Oblong; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Pinnately compound leaves alternate, petioled, and 2-5 inches long, with 5 to 15 pairs of oval to oblong leaflets less than 1″ long
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower shape
Lipped
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Small, white to violet-pink, clustered in the axils of leaves.
Fruit color
Black; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Legume
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
1-3 inches long
Fruit detail
The seeds, from a pea-shaped oblong flat truncate pod, 1 1/2"-2" long curls back when opening to reveal 3 to 8 hard-coated, glossy, two-toned: brilliant scarlet-red over 2/3 of the length and black over the narrow 1/3. The seeds give its common name of crab's eyes.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
India and parts of tropical Asia
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Legume
Uses (ethnobotany)
Parts of the plant have been used in herbal medicine. The roots were used to induce abortions.
Landscape Use
Garden tags
#deciduous #legume #poisonous #twining #full sun tolerant #glossy leaves #evergreen #exotic looking #problem for dogs #problem for horses #problem for cats #tropical feel #vine #poisonous seed #weedy #high maintenance
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Poisonous to Humans; Problem for Cats; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses; Weedy
Poison severity
High
Poison parts
Flowers; Leaves; Roots; Seeds
Poison symptoms
All parts are posoinous but its the seeds that are most often ingested. Once eaten there can be a delay of hours or days: nausea, vomiting, severe abdominal pain and diarrhea, tremors, high heart rate, fever, shock, burning in throat; later ulcerative lesions of mouth and esophagus; can be fatal.
Toxic principle
Abrin, a protein
Contact dermatitis
No
Toxicity summary
High severity poison; parts: Flowers; Leaves; Roots; Seeds