Abrus precatorius
Diagnostic description:
Climber. Leaves paripinnately compound. leaflets 28–32 (14–16-jugate), lamina oblong or obovate. Inflorescence compound racemose, terminal or axillary, densely. Flowers papilionaceous. Calyx 5, connate near base. Corolla pinkish to purplish or white, glabrous; standard, keel and wings with stipe. Stamens 9. Pod turgid, green, apex with beak, 3–5-seeded. Seeds subglobose or ellipsoid, shining, commonly red with a black spot surrounding the hilum, or sometimes completely whitish.
Habitat:
Dry dipterocarp forest and bedrock
Diseases:
The purified agglutinins which possessed almost no toxic activity were found by analytical ultracentrifugation to have molecular weights of 134,000
References
- , “Isolation and comparison of galactose-binding lectins from Abrus precatorius and Ricinus communis”, Journal of Biological Chemistry, vol. 249, pp. 803–810, 1974.
Uses:
Seeds with poisonous