Abrus precatorius, Crabs Eye - 0.5 kg Seeds

Abrus precatorius, known in India as gunja, ratti or crab's eye, is a slender perennial twining legume famous for its glossy scarlet seeds tipped with a single black eye. Though it climbs rather than forms a trunk, it is a hardy woody vine of dry scrub and forest margins found across the plains and lower hills of India.

The striking seeds are used to make rosaries, ornamental beads and jewellery, and the plant has a long history in Ayurvedic and folk medicine where the roots and leaves are used (the raw seed, however, is highly toxic if crushed and swallowed). It also serves as a nitrogen-fixing cover and a hedge plant on poor soils.

• Family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
• Native region: tropical India and the wider Old World tropics
• Mature size: climbing vine to 3-6 m
• Growth rate: fast once established

The seed coat is extremely hard, so pre-treat by nicking or rubbing with sandpaper (scarification) and then soaking in warm water for 12-24 hours until the seeds swell. Sow about 1-2 cm deep in a well-drained sandy mix; germination follows in roughly 14-21 days at warm temperatures. Provide a trellis and transplant the seedlings to their final position at the onset of the monsoon.