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Mexican Jumping Beans
And now you might ask why a vegetarian site would contain information on Mexican jumping beans? After all, they are not edible. There is no recipe for Mexican Jumping Beans and Gravy or any recipe at all, for that matter! Besides, what makes them jump, as you will soon read, is the moth larva inside the 'bean' and no self-respecting vegetarian would dream of eating a moth!
Well, even if they are not edible, they are of interest to us and perhaps to you as well. We won't give you a definitive 'be all, end all' about Mexican jumping beans, but we will give you a succinct description.
For starters, Mexican jumping beans are not beans at all. They are the 3-carpel (sections) seed pods of a plant called Sebastiana pavoniana, which grows in the Rio Mayo area of Mexico that is 30 x 100 miles in breadth. A U.S. plant, Sapium biloculare, is the Arizona jumping bean host, and grows in that state's Ajo area. Regardless of which plant we are talking about, the 3-part seed pod is a food storage compartment for the larvae of the jumping bean moth Cydia deshaisiana. [Note: there is disagreement about the species, but the genus is firm!]
The jumping bean moth lays her eggs in spring on the outside of the immature seed pod. When the eggs develop into larvae, they burrow into one of the 3 sections of the Mexican jumping beans' pod, and consume the seed over time, while gaining the protection of the carpel as a home. Keep in mind that each carpel can have a larva in it! And every carpel that does host a larva will not produce a seed, because that seed is the larva's food!
When the seed pod reaches maturity, it splits open, expelling each of the three carpels individually. Since the larvae have not yet matured, they huddle inside. Until the moth larvae inside the Mexican jumping beans are mature, the larvae are affected by heat, cold and disturbance. This is the stage at which the 'jumping' occurs.
It is the movement of the larva inside the Mexican jumping bean carpel in response to being shaken or heated up in your hands as you hold them that is referred to as 'jumping' although they never leave the surface--unless you respond by jumping!
The individual carpels are collected and sold as novelties worldwide. Since the food for the moths are so plant specific, there is no concern about shipping a pest across international borders. That is a comfort because you do know that eventually, the larvae do leave the safety of their Mexican jumping beans and guess where they go? Hmmm!? Out into your world--somewhere!
Well, even if they are not edible, they are of interest to us and perhaps to you as well. We won't give you a definitive 'be all, end all' about Mexican jumping beans, but we will give you a succinct description.
For starters, Mexican jumping beans are not beans at all. They are the 3-carpel (sections) seed pods of a plant called Sebastiana pavoniana, which grows in the Rio Mayo area of Mexico that is 30 x 100 miles in breadth. A U.S. plant, Sapium biloculare, is the Arizona jumping bean host, and grows in that state's Ajo area. Regardless of which plant we are talking about, the 3-part seed pod is a food storage compartment for the larvae of the jumping bean moth Cydia deshaisiana. [Note: there is disagreement about the species, but the genus is firm!]
The jumping bean moth lays her eggs in spring on the outside of the immature seed pod. When the eggs develop into larvae, they burrow into one of the 3 sections of the Mexican jumping beans' pod, and consume the seed over time, while gaining the protection of the carpel as a home. Keep in mind that each carpel can have a larva in it! And every carpel that does host a larva will not produce a seed, because that seed is the larva's food!
When the seed pod reaches maturity, it splits open, expelling each of the three carpels individually. Since the larvae have not yet matured, they huddle inside. Until the moth larvae inside the Mexican jumping beans are mature, the larvae are affected by heat, cold and disturbance. This is the stage at which the 'jumping' occurs.
It is the movement of the larva inside the Mexican jumping bean carpel in response to being shaken or heated up in your hands as you hold them that is referred to as 'jumping' although they never leave the surface--unless you respond by jumping!
The individual carpels are collected and sold as novelties worldwide. Since the food for the moths are so plant specific, there is no concern about shipping a pest across international borders. That is a comfort because you do know that eventually, the larvae do leave the safety of their Mexican jumping beans and guess where they go? Hmmm!? Out into your world--somewhere!
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1. Vegetarian recipes
2. Smoothie recipes
How? It's easy!
Privacy policy:
Your email address is safe;
we NEVER share our list.
