| Status | LC |
|---|---|
| Status system | IUCN3.1 |
| Genus | Ormosia (plant) |
| Species | coccinea |
| Authority | (Aubl.) Jacks. |
| Synonyms | Robinia coccinea Aubl. |
Ormosia coccinea is a plant that grows throughout the South Eastern North American countries, and all throughout South America. It produces beautiful red seeds with one black spot covering one-third of its surface. These seeds are used for jewelry and other decorative purposes.
The seeds are known as wayruru (Aymara,[1] also spelled huayruro, huayruru, wayruro) in Peru, where villagers believe them to be powerful good luck charms[citation needed], and nene or chumico in Costa Rica. A French name is panacoco, but this more often applies to Swartzia tomentosa.
Kharisiri, a fat-sucking Andean folkloric creature, are said to carry wayruru beans in their pockets when they attack victims.[2]
References
- ^ "Diccionario Bilingüe, Castellano - Aymara, 2002". Félix Layme Pairumani. Archived March 4, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 19, 2015. (see: Pepa)
- ^ Canessa, Andrew (December 2000). "Fear and loathing on the kharisiri trail: Alterity and identity in the Andes". Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. 6 (4): 705–720. doi:10.1111/1467-9655.00041. ISSN 1359-0987