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Mexican jumping bean
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Mexican jumping beans
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Mexican jumping beans
Mexican jumping beans

Mexican jumping bean

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Article History

Mexican jumping bean, the seed of certain Mexican shrubs, especially those of the genus Sebastiania, of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), that contain larvae of a small olethreutid moth (Laspeyresia salitans). The movements of the larvae feeding on the pulp within the seed, which are intensified by warmth, give the seed the familiar jumping movement.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.