The term 'Mexican jumping bean' usually refers to the seeds that have been attacked by moth larvae, but the entire plant is also called a 'Mexican jumping bean.'[5][4][9] It was difficult to determine the species of plant responsible for the
novelty item at first, as the C. saltitans larva leaves the seed sterile.[8] In addition, a related plant Sapium biloculare (
syn.Pleradenophora bilocularis) also has jumping seeds[6] and is also commonly called 'Mexican jumping bean.'[9][10][11] However S. pavoniana is the species most commonly sold as curios.[11]
In
Spanish, it is called semillas brincadores ('jumper seeds'),[6] or simply brincador ('jumper').[4][5] Other Spanish names include palo de flecha ('arrow wood') and yerba de flecha ('arrow herb'), but it is not used to create or poison arrows.[12] In
Mayan it is called túbucti.[4] The
Aztecs call it mincapatli (or miccapatli[12]) which means "herb of death,"[13] but the name is understood as 'seeds against death' and not as causing death.[12] The
Yaqui named the seeds echimu-chechepete (seeds that jump).[13][12] The seeds are called wurmiger Kaffee in
German.[12]
The
specific epithetpavoniana might derive from the
Latinpavon ('
peafowl').[14] However neither the flowers nor fruit are
peacock blue or any other shade of blue, but more of a greenish yellow. The seeds do have a spot that might abstractly resemble the
eyespot on a peacock's tail feathers. The most likely etymology honors
José Antonio Pavón Jiménez, from whose
collection the species was originally described.[1][7]
Description
S. pavoniana is a slender tree or large
shrub that grows up to 10–12 metres (33–39 ft) tall.[5] The trunk diameter at breast height is 6.7–10.1 centimetres (2.6–4.0 in).[15] Initially it can resemble Excoecaria indica, but the female
calyx is
eglandulose (lacking glands) inside.[1]
Besides the seeds selling as novelty items, the Yaqui grate the unpeeled (and unparasitized) seeds turning them into
flour which is baked into a loaves for
feast days.[13][12] The chuculi-buahuame,[12] or 'bread of hunger,' as it's called, is thought to provide a boost of energy.[13] An
American entrepreneur in
Havana once tried to sell the flour mixed with
chicle to make an energizing gum, but was stopped over concern for accidentally introducing the moth to the island of
Cuba.[12]
It is not known if this is a true
pharmacological effect or a
placebo effect, hoping that the observed jumping vigor of the seeds is transferred.[13] If a true biological effect is taking place, it would be similar to chewing
coca leaves or drinking very strong
coffee.[12]
^Department of Agricultu re - Environmental Services Division (31 March 2016).
"Arizona Administrative Code Title 3, Ch. 3"(PDF). Arizona Department of Agriculture. p. 49.
Archived(PDF) from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018. EUPHORBIACEAE Spurge Family... Sapium biloculare (Wats.) Pax–Mexican jumping-bean
^
abcdefghiReko, Viktor A. (1949). Magische Gifte: Rausch- und Betäubungsmittel der Neuen Welt (in German) (Dritte auflage ed.). Stuttgart: Ferdinand Enke. pp. 145–150.
^
abcdePereira, Jayme Regallo (March 1945). Gomes da Cruz, Jayme P. (ed.). "Contribuição para o estudo das plantas alucinatórias particularmente a maconha (Cannabis sativa L.)" [Contribution Toward the Study of hallucination Producing Plants, Particularly of Maconha, Cannabis sativa, Known as Marihuana in the United States]. Revista da Flora Medicinal (in Portuguese). 12 (3): 108–111.
ISSN0370-484X.
OCLC802456693.
^Griffith, Chuck (2005).
"Dictionary of Botanical Epithets". Dictionary of Botanical Epithets.
Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018. pavonius pavonia pavonium peacock like, blue or having an eye pavo pavon noun/m a peacock
^Dwyer, John D.; Spellman, David L. (April 1981). "A List of the Dicotyledoneae of Belize". Rhodora. 83 (834): 161–236.
ISSN0035-4902.
JSTOR23311007.
OCLC19880140. S. pavoniana Standl. D 12402, 12572
^Baker, Ed; Kitching, Ian J.; Beccaloni, George W.; Whitaker, Amoret; Dupont, Steen; Smith, Vincent S.; Noyes, John S. (2016-12-13).
"Sebastiania pavoniana". HOSTS (Data Set). Natural History Museum.
doi:
10.5519/0060767. Retrieved 21 July 2018.