Wikimedia Commons
Poaceae
Job's Tears Flower
Coix lacryma-jobi
Tears of endurance and prayer beads of the faithful.
- Family
- Poaceae
- Genus
- Coix
- Native to
- Southeast Asia, eastern Asia
- Bloom season
- Summer, Fall
- Type
- annual or perennial grass
- Height
- 100–200 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- moist, fertile
- Water
- high
- Hardiness
- 9–11 (annual elsewhere)
- Lifespan
- perennial in tropics; annual in temperate areas
Did you know
- The hard, bead-like seeds have a natural hole through the center, making them one of humanity's oldest natural beads for jewelry and rosaries.
- In the Philippines and other Asian countries, the grain is cooked as a cereal food and brewed into traditional drinks.
- The common name references the biblical Job, whose tears of suffering are symbolized by the teardrop-shaped seeds.
- Job's tears is one of the oldest cultivated crops in East Asia, with archaeological evidence dating back over 4,000 years.
- In traditional Chinese medicine, the seeds (called yiren) are used to support digestion and reduce inflammation.
Color meanings
Green
growing faith
Purple
sacred sorrow
Grey
patient endurance