Dictionary

snuff box sea bean en · NOUN

Meanings

1. African dream herb (Entada rheedei).
2. Matchbox bean, St. Thomas bean (Entada phaseoloides).
   • The seeds of the snuff box, sea bean (Entada scandens) are mentioned in Norse literature as early as 1632 as of inorganic origin and were often considered to have been formed by the waves and called solvent stones. 1920, Edward W. Berry, “A Fossil Sea Bean from Venezuela”, in The American Journal of Science, page 311:
   • The other species of Entada is E. phaseoloides, commonly known as Queensland bean. It is distributed throughout the tropical forests from Africa to Australia. Match box bean and snuff box sea bean are other names used for this species. 2016, Bharati Bhattacharyya, Golden Greens: The Amazing World of Plants, page 136:
   • Lens phaseoloides. Snuff-box sea-bean. Plate LVI. Family Fabaceae. Local names.--Gayê, Gadyê, Gayî, Lódusong, Bayog (Guam); Gogo, Gogong bakai, Bayogo, Balones (Philippines); Cacoon (West Indies); Boja (Cuba); Tupe (Samoa); Kaka (Rarotonga); Match-box bean (Queensland). 1905, Elihu Root, Elihu Root collection of United States documents:
   • entada rheedii, commonly known as the African Dream Herb or Snuff Box Sea Bean 2015, S Kamminlun Vaiphei, Folktales of the Vaiphei:
   • Entada phaseoloides (Linnaeus) Merrill, also called Entada scandens, the match-box bean or snuff-box sea bean 1939, The Guam Recorder, volumes 16-18, page 350:

Forms