Adley Millet

Coix lacryma-jobi (KOY LAH-krih-mah JOH-bee)

Family: Poaceae Non-native Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

Job's tears is a tropical perennial grass native to Southeast Asia and is a member of the grass family (Poaceae). It may be grown as an annual or perennial, and has been naturalized in much of the southern United States, parts of South America, and Africa. It grows up to 3 to 6 feet tall, and its glossy, deep green leaf blades are wide, upright, and arching at the ends with coarse, slightly wavy edges. The plant forms short, grayish-white, drooping tassels that develop into a string of seeds. The fruit is borne on pendulous seedpods, and the seeds are small, initially green and changing to a whitish-gray blue or black. These seeds resemble pearls and are hard, shiny, and tear-shaped. They are used as a food source, for jewelry, and for traditional medicine. The genus name, Coix, is derived from the Greek word κόϊξ, referring to the doum palm. It is now accepted as a generic name for a genus of Asian grasses. The specific epithet lacryma-jobi is Latin and Hebrew in origin. The Latin word lacryma means tear, and the Hebrew word jobi is a genitive form of the Biblical character Job. The common name, Job's tears, refers to tear-shaped fruits. This plant thrives in wet tropical climates with warm temperatures and high humidity. Prefers full sun and moist, well-drained, slightly acid, loamy soils. The soil should be consistently wet, but not soggy. It is perennial in zones 9 through 11, and can be propagated by seeds. Some varieties have seeds with hard pseudocarps and are used for jewelry, while others have softer pseudocarps and are used as cereal crops and in folk medicine. In the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee, the beads of Job's tears are used in personal attire. This plant may be grown as a hedge or in a container. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: May be susceptible to short-winged grasshoppers, flea beetle, rice bug, green stink bug, leaf beetle, and weevils. Monitor for fungal diseases, such as leaf blight and smut.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 49 attributes.