What is the difference between red beans and love beans? A detailed explanation of love bean toxicity and red bean types

"Red beans grow in the south land, how many branches sprout when spring comes. I hope you gather them often, for this thing best represents longing." This poem is one we are all very familiar with, and its meaning is beautiful. Many people think the love bean in it is the red bean we commonly eat, but actually it is not! So what is the difference between red beans and love beans? Are love beans toxic? What specific types of red beans are there?

The love bean is one type of red bean; they are plants of the same family. The love bean contains abrin, and swallowing just 3 micrograms by mistake can be fatal; touching the eyes and other areas can also cause injury. It has now been used by international terrorists in terrorist assassination operations.

It is native to tropical regions: Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China. In China it is distributed in Fujian, Taiwan, China, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and other places. It mostly grows in mountain gullies, beside streams, in forests, or is cultivated in gardens.

Supplementary information:

In botany, red bean is a broad category involving at least three types of plants, briefly described as follows:

1. The vine love bean, not the red bean in Wang Wei's poem (seed half red and half black)

Abrus precatorius: Fabaceae. A woody vine. Branches slender and weak. It blooms in spring and summer, with papilionaceous corollas, usually pale red or purple, in racemes. The legume is long elliptical. The seed is broadly ovate, with the upper end vermilion red and the lower end black. It is distributed in tropical Asia; it is also produced in southern China. The seed is scientifically named jequirity bean, is highly toxic, and is often used as a Chinese medicinal material.

2. The evergreen tree red bean tree, also called love tree, the true red bean and love bean (seed entirely red)

Ormosia hosiei: Fabaceae. A tree. It blooms in spring, with papilionaceous corollas, white or pale red, in panicles. The legume is woody, long elliptical, and the seeds are bright red and glossy. It is produced in central China and East China and is used for ornament; the wood is hard and heavy, red, and beautifully figured, making it an excellent material for carving and joinery.

3. The deciduous tree sea red bean, also called love tree, the true red bean and love bean (seed entirely red)

Adenanthera pavonina: also called “xiangsi ge”, “love tree”, and “peacock bean”. Fabaceae. A deciduous tree. The flowers are small, white or pale yellow, in narrow racemes. The legume curves and coils when mature. The seeds are lenticular and bright red. It is produced in the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka; it is also found in Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan in China, and the eastern Himalayas. The wood is hard, the heartwood grain is slightly coarse, and it is resistant to water and moisture. It is an excellent material for shipbuilding and can also be used for construction, furniture, gunstocks, and other purposes. The seeds are used as ornaments.

4. Adzuki bean, also known as red bean, is the red bean used as a vegetable food and has nothing to do with love or longing (seed red)

Phaseolus angularis: also called “chi xiao dou” and “xiao dou”. Fabaceae. An annual herb. The flowers are yellow or pale gray. The legume is hairless, and the seeds are elliptical or long elliptical, generally red. It is native to Asia; it is widely cultivated in China. The seeds are rich in starch, protein, B vitamins, and other nutrients, and can be used as grain and side food, as well as for medicinal purposes.

5. Taiwan acacia, which does not grow love beans (seed dark brown)

Acacia confusa: Fabaceae. An evergreen tree. It can reach 15 m in height. It blooms from April to October, with head-shaped inflorescences and golden yellow flowers. The legume is strap-shaped and flat. The seeds are dark brown and glossy. It is distributed in Taiwan, China, south of central Fujian, and the hilly and plain acidic soils of Guangdong and Hainan. The wood is solid, fine, and durable, and is used for construction and making farm tools. The bark can yield tannin extract. It is also a street tree and ornamental tree in South China.

6. Yew, not belonging to Fabaceae and completely unrelated to red bean (seed entirely red)

Taxus wallichiana zucc: Taxaceae. An evergreen tree. The branchlets turn yellow-green or pale reddish brown in autumn. The seeds are flat ovate, each side with an indistinct ridge, surrounded by a red fleshy cup-shaped aril. It is a tree species endemic to China, distributed in Gansu, Shaanxi, Hubei, as well as Sichuan and Yunnan. The wood can be used for construction, boats and vehicles, furniture, utensils, and other purposes; the seeds are pressed for oil.