Regarding Ratti

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

In India normally every person from rural background is familiar with word

ratti. It is seed of black and red color. This seed is discussed many times in

Lalkitab.

for those who dont know about these seed I am reproducing some facts taken from

net

"

Common name: Coral bead vine, Rosary pea • Hindi:

& #2352; & #2340; & #2381; & #2340; & #2368; Ratti, & #2327; & #2369; & #2306; & #2330; & #2368;

Gunchi • Sanskrit: & #2327; & #2369; & #2306; & #2332; & #2366; Gunjaa • Kannada:

& #2327; & #2369; & #2354; & #2327; & #2369; & #2306; & #2332; & #2368; Gulugunji • Bengali:

& #2327; & #2369; & #2306; & #2330; Gunch • Gujarati: Ratti

& #2352; & #2340; & #2381; & #2340; & #2368; • Tamil:

& #2965; & #3009; & #2984; & #3021; & #2980; & #3009; & #2990; & #2979; & #3007; kundu maNi •

Marathi: & #2327; & #2369; & #2306; & #2332; Gunja

Botanical name: Abrus precatorius Family: Fabaceae (pea family)

A high-climbing, twining, or trailing woody vine with alternately compound

leaves, indigenous to India. Leaves alternate, 5-13 cm long, even-pinnately

compound with 5-15 pairs of leaflets, these oval to oblong, to 1.8 cm long, with

margins entire. The flowers, shaped like pea flowers, are small, pale, violet to

pink and arranged in clusters. Fruit a short, oblong pod, splitting before

falling to reveal 3-8 shiny hard seeds, 6-7 mm long, scarlet with black bases.

The seeds of abrus precatorius are much valued in native jewelry for their

bright coloration. The third of the bean with the hilum (attachment scar) is

black, while the rest is bright red, suggesting a ladybug. Jewelry-making with

jequirity seeds is dangerous, and there have been cases of death by a

finger-prick while boring the seeds for beadwork. The seeds were traditionally

used to weigh jewellery in India. The measure ratti

& #2352; & #2340; & #2381; & #2340; & #2368; is equal to the weight of one seed.

"

You can visit this link to see the image of ratti & ratti plant.

http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Gunj.html

Regards

Nirmal