Kauaʻi record · kba_plant_abrus_precatorius
Rosary Pea
Abrus precatorius
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About Rosary Pea
A twining liana or scandent shrub with long stems and pinnate leaves carrying numerous small oblong leaflets. Pea-shaped flowers grow in dense clusters along a thickened flowering axis. Short, slightly swollen oblique pods open to reveal usually five to seven scarlet seeds with a glossy black patch around the hilum; flower and seed colors can vary. Established wild occurrence warrants observations of occupied cover, reproductive plants and new recruits. These measurements can test persistence and spread. The reviewed accounts do not quantify an island-wide effect on Kauaʻi native vegetation.
Kauaʻi evidence
Generated media is not occurrence evidence. Proposed monitoring endpoints are not reported observations, measured effects or causal findings.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Abrus precatorius
- Common names
- rosary pea · bead vine · black-eyed Susan
- Hawaiian names
- pukiaweʻulaʻula · pukiawelenalena
- Other names
- Abrus precatorius · rosary pea · bead vine · black-eyed Susan · pukiaweʻulaʻula · pukiawelenalena
- Record type
- Species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Recorded on Kauaʻi
- Origin
- Introduced
- Conservation status
- Not yet assessed
- Evidence date
- 2026-10-07
- Evidence limits
- Island-level public occurrence only. Pink-lilac flowers and scarlet-black seeds are one supported form; alternative color forms are not combined into the same individual.
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Not yet assessed
- Food and resource needs
- Not yet assessed
- Reproduction
- Not yet assessed
- Shelter
- Not yet assessed
- Growth form
- Liana or scandent shrub
Threats and conservation
- Monitoring
- Occupied area and vegetation cover; Mature plants and new recruits; Reproductive plants and fruiting frequency. Proposed monitoring endpoints are not reported observations, measured effects or causal findings.
- Data gaps
- Current island extent and population trend · Measured local ecological effects
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Not yet assessed
- Seasonal description
- A twining liana or scandent shrub with long stems and pinnate leaves carrying numerous small oblong leaflets. Pea-shaped flowers grow in dense clusters along a thickened flowering axis. Short, slightly swollen oblique pods open to reveal usually five to seven scarlet seeds with a glossy black patch around the hilum; flower and seed colors can vary. Established wild occurrence warrants observations of occupied cover, reproductive plants and new recruits. These measurements can test persistence and spread. The reviewed accounts do not quantify an island-wide effect on Kauaʻi native vegetation.