Abrus | |
---|---|
Abrus precatorius | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Faboideae |
Clade: | Meso-Papilionoideae |
Clade: | Non-protein amino acid-accumulating clade |
Clade: | Millettioids |
Tribe: |
Abreae Hutch. |
Genus: |
Abrus Adans. (1763) [1] |
Species | |
17; see text | |
Synonyms [2] | |
|
Abrus is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, and the only genus in the tribe Abreae. It contains 13–18 species, but is best known for a single species: jequirity ( A. precatorius). The highly toxic seeds of that species are used to make jewellery. [3] [4] [5]
Species range naturally across tropical Africa, Madagascar, the Arabian Peninsula, south and southeast Asia, southern China, New Guinea, and Australia. Some species have been introduced to the tropical Americas. [2]