Abrus is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae and the only genus found in the tribe Abreae. It contains about 18 species, namely Abrus aureus, Abrus baladensis, Abrus bottae, Abrus canescens, Abrus diversifoliatus, Abrus fruticulosus, Abrus gawenensis, Abrus laevigatus, Abrus longibracteatus, Abrus madagascariensis, Abrus parvifolius, Abrus precatorius, Abrus pulchellus, Abrus sambiranensis, Abrus schimperi, Abrus somalensis and Abrus wittei. The best-known species in the genus is Abrus precatorius. The genus name is derived from the Greek word abrus which means delicate and refers to the leaflets.

Abrus precatorius, known commonly as Bead Vine, Coral Bead Plant, Coral Bean, Crabs Eye, Licorice Vine, Love Bean, Lucky Bean Creeper, Prayer Beads, Prayer Bean, Precatory Pea, Red Bead Vine, Rosary Bean, Rosary Pea, Weather Plant and Weather Vine is a slender, perennial climber that twines around trees, shrubs, and hedges. It is a legume with long, pinnate-leafleted leaves. The shiny red and black seeds of Abrus precatorius make it a sought-after climber in the tropical and subtropical areas. In South Africa, one of the countries it is indigenous to, it is distributed in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and some parts of the Limpopo Provinces. There are some species similar to it and this may cause confusion. The bead vine is economically and medicinally important. Its leaves are consumed as a vegetable in central and east Africa. The plant is best known for its seeds, which are used as beads in rosary beads and in percussion instruments, and which are toxic due to the presence of abrin. In the garden it should be given some support; trellis and pergola plantings work beautiful and will allow you to admire the beautiful blooms at eye level.