Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi)

Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi) is a species of plant in the Poaceae, annual shrub, many clumps, erect and large stems, 1-3 meters high, white powdery coating, roots rough and difficult to uproot, grows wild in forests and fields agriculture, several varieties are cultivated for food sources and craft materials.

C. lacryma-jobi has alternating leaves, ribbon-shaped strands, 8-100 cm long, 1.5-5 cm wide, pointed tip, base hugging stem, flat edge, rough surface like paper and main bone protruding on the back of the leaf.



Flowers come out of leaf axils and branching ends, are grain-shaped and have stalks. The fruit has a long stalk, oval in shape, green or white or blue or purple and hard skin when it is old. Leaves are used for fiber. The widely cultivated varieties have soft fruit for pulp, while the hard wild varieties are used for beads on necklaces.

Seeds produce their own variation of prolamin α-zein. This prolamin has undergone an unusually rapid evolutionary divergence from its closely related grasses, through changes in copy number. Jali grains can be used in the same way as rice. The starch content is 58%. The seeds are used as an ingredient in making soups, porridge, flour and pastries.

The grains are available in dry and cooked form as cereals. The cultivated variety has a soft shell and is easy to cook into mush. Some soft-shelled varieties are easy to grind and produce sweet seeds. The crushed grains are generally round in shape with an indentation at one end and shiny white in color.

The grain is fermented and distilled for liquor. Grain is also brewed into beer. The hard white grain has historically been used as a bead to make necklaces and other objects. The seeds naturally have holes without the need to artificially pierce them. Buddhist prayer beads and rosaries are made in several countries.

Generally grows in sunny, fertile and well-drained fields with sandy loam soil. This species prefers a cool, humid climate with soil temperatures above 12C. Intolerant of hot and dry climates. The black variety is suitable at an elevation of 800-1000 meters and the dwarf variety is suitable in lowland areas.

Seeds are rich in protein and dense in nutrients. High in dietary fibre, zinc and calcium. Also contains micronutrients such as thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin E and niacin. It also includes 8 kinds of amino acids for human consumption. Most of them contain unsaturated fatty acids.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Panicoideae
Tribe: Andropogoneae
Subtribe: Coicinae
Genus: Coix L. in Sp. Pl.: 972 (1753)
Species: Coix lacryma-jobi L. in Sp. Pl.: 972 (1753)
Varieties: Coix lacryma-jobi var. lacryma-jobi, Coix lacryma-jobi var. ma-yuen (Rom.Caill.) Stapf, Coix lacryma-jobi var. puellarum (Balansa) E.G.Camus & A.Camus, Coix lacryma-jobi var. stenocarpa Oliv.

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Coix lacryma L. in Syst. Nat., ed. 10. 2: 1261 (1759)
Coix ovata Stokes in Bot. Mat. Med. 4: 342 (1812)
Coix pendula Salisb. in Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 28 (1796)
Lithagrostis lacryma-jobi (L.) Gaertn. in Fruct. Sem. Pl. 1: 7 (1788)
Sphaerium lacryma Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 793 (1891)

PUBLICATIONS

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VERNACULAR NAME

Afrikaans: Jobskraaltjies, Jobskrale, Jobstrane, Kraalgras, Taangras, Tandgras, Tandkraal, Tandkraalgras, Tandkrale, Traangras
Angami: Kesi
Arabic: دمع أيوب
Assamese: Kauramani
Bada: Kalide
Bengali: গুরগুর Gurgur
Chinese (simplified): 薏苡 - 米珠子
Chinese (traditional): 川穀 - 薏苡
Czech: Slzovka obecná
Dutch: Jali, Jobstranen
English: Job's Tears, Gromwell Reed, Pearl Barley, Corn Bead, Coix Millet, Job's Tear, Jali, Coix seed, Gromwell grass, Tear grass, Adlay, Adlay millet, Chinese pearl barley
Filipino: Adlai, Kaudlasan, Katigbi
Finnish: Jobinkyynelheinä
French: Larmes de Job, Larmilles, Herbe à chapelets
German: Hiobstraene
Gujarati: Kasi, Kasai
Halmahera: Jagung jail kasekore, Kasekore
Hindi: समक्रु - सांकलू - गुरलू - कौरिमनी - वैजंती - बैजंती - वैजयन्ती Samkru, Sanklu, Gurlu, Kaurimani, Vaijanti, Baijanti, Vaijayanti
Hong Kong: 川穀 - 薏苡
Hungarian: Jób könnye
Indonesian: Jali, Jali-jali, Jelai, Enjelai
Japanese: ジュズダマ
Java: Jali watu
Jinan: 米珠子
Kannada: Manjutti, Ashru bija
Khasi: Sohriu
Khmer: ស្គួយ Skuöy
Konkani: Ran jamdhlo
Korean: 염주
Lao: ດ້ວຍ Düay
Lithuanian: Jobo ašarė
Macao: 川穀 - 薏苡
Malayalam: Kakkappallunku, Kattugothenmbu, Kunthamani, Poochakal, Kattugotampu
Malaysia: Jelai batu, Jelai pulut, Menjelai
Manipuri: Chaning
Marathi: Ranjondhala, Kasai, Kochura, Randawar, Ran-jondhala, Ran-maka, Ran Jondhala
Minangkabau: Anjalae batu
Mizo: Pingpih
Nepali: भिरकौलो - जाबे Bhirakaulo, Jaabe
Portuguese: Lágrima-de-Nossa-Senhora
Russian: Коикс слёзы Иовы
Sanskrit: Gavedhukah
Slovak: Slzovka tvrdoplodá
Spanish: Arrocillo
Sumba: Komangge
Sunda: Hanjeli
Swedish: Jobs tårar
Taiwan: 薏苡
Tamil: கட்டு குண்டுமணி Kattu kundumani
Telugu: Adavi guruginja
Thai: ลูกเดือย - ดูไบ - มาดูไร
Toba: Singkoru batu
Turkish: Gözyaşı otu
Zulu: Ililozisi, Ilozisi, Iputshutshu

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