China-endemic-species
Guides
Ormosia
Ormosias, horse-eye beans, chocho
Ormosia is a genus of woody legumes (Fabaceae) comprising approximately 130 species of trees and large shrubs distributed across tropical regions of the Americas, Asia, and New Guinea. The genus is characterized by distinctive, often brightly colored seeds with decorative patterns that resemble eyes—commonly called "horse-eye beans"—which are poisonous if ingested but valued for ornamental use. Several species are threatened by habitat destruction, with Ormosia howii likely extinct. The genus forms nitrogen-fixing root nodules with rhizobia and exhibits strong adaptability to nutrient-poor soils.