Nickerbean

(Caesalpinia bonduc)

This vining plant is covered with sharp thorns! The flowers are yellow-orange, and may flower year-round. The flowers attract butterflies. The beans that follow are hidden in a green seed pod covered in sharp spines. The seed pods turn brown and split open to reveal smooth, slightly oval, hard gray seeds. The seeds have been used in jewelry and prayer beads. Bonducin obtained from the seeds or bark has been called the poor man’s quinine for its abilities to reduce fevers. It is being researched as a treatment for leukemia.

Information Provided by the Friends of Barefoot Beach Preserve
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