Plants and mushrooms

Crab's eye

Common name		Crab's eye
Botanical name		Abrus precatorius
Other common names		Gidee-gidee, Jequirity bean, Rosary pea, Precatory bean
Family		Fabaceae
General description		A native perennial vine of coastal areas, sometimes grown as a garden ornamental.
Flowers		The pea flowers are 1–1.2cm long, pink, white or purple.
Leaves		The leaves are alternating on the stem, with 7–15 pairs of oblong leaflets that are 6–25mm long and 2–8mm wide.
Fruit/Berries		The fruit are pods 4–5cm long, and about 12mm wide, dark grey, splitting to reveal bright red and black seeds when ripe. The seeds are about 6mm long, rounded or ovoid, hard and shiny. The seed can sometimes be white and unspotted.
Other		The sap is clear.
Symptoms		Chewed or broken seeds are toxic when ingested. One seed contains sufficient toxin to kill an adult. However, if the seed remains unbroken then the toxin may not be released. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, severe diarrhoea, disorientation and death. Symptoms may be rapid or delayed 1–3 days.
Toxicity category		1
Warning		Seek urgent medical attention for any ingestion.