JOB'S TEARS

(species Coix lacryma-jobi), leafy, jointed-stemmed annual grass of the family Poaceae, native to tropical Asia and naturalized in North America. It is 1 to 3 m (3 to nearly 10 feet) tall. Job's tears receives its name from the hard, shiny, tear-shaped beads that enclose the seed kernels. They are off-white or dark in colour and are 6 to 12 mm (0.25 to 0.5 inch) long. They are sometimes used for jewelry and rosaries. Job's tears is native to the Indian subcontinent but is now widespread throughout the tropical zone. It grows in marshy places and is cultivated in China, the seed kernel having a supposed medicinal value. The seed kernel is also edible, and forms of it are used as cereal foods in parts of East Asia and in the Philippines.