Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius)
A Common Exotic Invasive Plant
A common exotic invasive plant is a real problem in Rye Preserve: Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius), native to India and Asia.
At Rye Preserve, this climbing vine acts as a “fire ladder”: fire burns up the vine and into tree canopies, causing controlled burns to be very hard to control. It’s also a problem here in Lakewood Ranch because rosary pea can cover trees (behavior similar to Kudzu).
If you see this plant in your yard, remove it— mature plants have a very deep tap root so that’s not easy to do. Put the plants the trash, not the yard waste bin. If you see this plant in a common area or conservation area, report it to your HOA. The CDDs and HOAs in the Stewardship District are “on the hook” for managing exotic invasive plants. Rosary pea seeds are highly toxic and can be fatal if ingested. Studies have shown that as little as 0.00015% of toxin per body weight will cause fatality in humans (a single seed).
Great photos of the rosary pea can be found at this URL:
https://plants-archive.ifas.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/files/caip/inv_plant_man_plan_pdf/rosary_pea_PP.pdf
Good summary here but not so many photos:
https://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/plant-directory/abrus-precatorius/
At Rye Preserve, this climbing vine acts as a “fire ladder”: fire burns up the vine and into tree canopies, causing controlled burns to be very hard to control. It’s also a problem here in Lakewood Ranch because rosary pea can cover trees (behavior similar to Kudzu).
If you see this plant in your yard, remove it— mature plants have a very deep tap root so that’s not easy to do. Put the plants the trash, not the yard waste bin. If you see this plant in a common area or conservation area, report it to your HOA. The CDDs and HOAs in the Stewardship District are “on the hook” for managing exotic invasive plants. Rosary pea seeds are highly toxic and can be fatal if ingested. Studies have shown that as little as 0.00015% of toxin per body weight will cause fatality in humans (a single seed).
Great photos of the rosary pea can be found at this URL:
https://plants-archive.ifas.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/files/caip/inv_plant_man_plan_pdf/rosary_pea_PP.pdf
Good summary here but not so many photos:
https://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/plant-directory/abrus-precatorius/