Abrus pulchellus Wall. ex Thwaites

Prostrate subshrub, woody herb or woody liane up to 6 m. long.. Rootstock usually woody, fibrous or rhizomatous.. Stems glabrous to densely spreading or adpressed pubescent, the indumentum greyish or ferruginous.. Leaves (10–)12–34-foliolate; petiole short to over 2 cm. long; leaflets oblong, 0.35–5 cm. long, 0.1–2 cm. wide, truncate or broadly rounded and mucronulate at the apex, truncate, rounded or subcordate at the base, glabrous to densely silky pilose above, glabrescent to densely silky pilose beneath.. Inflorescences axillary or terminal; flowers subsessile in fascicles on cushion-like reduced branchlets; bracts and bracteoles minute, under 1 mm. long.. Calyx adpressed pubescent, 1.5–3 mm. long, subtruncate, shallowly lobed or distinctly toothed.. Corolla white to purple, usually pale pink, drying yellowish, 0.8–1.3 cm. long.. Pods oblong or linear-oblong, 2.2–7(–9) cm. long, 0.8–1.5 cm. wide, compressed, smooth, sparsely to densely adpressed pubescent, in some areas also with minute red glands.. Seeds greyish-or reddish-brown, sometimes speckled with violet or darker brown, oblong or pyriform, usually strongly compressed, arranged with largest dimension across the pod; largest dimension 4–6 mm., shorter dimension (2–)3–4.5 mm., 2–2.5 mm. thick; rim-aril reduced in African material but a conspicuous cartilaginous funicle remnant is present.

A tropical plant. It grows in secondary vegetation in West Africa. It prefers damp locations. It is often along rivers. In southern China it grows between 200-3,000 m above sea level.

The root are used as a substitute for liquorice. The stems are used as a sweetener. Caution: The seeds are poisonous. They contain pulchellin.