Job's Tears / Yi Yi Ren / Hato Mugi (Coix lacryma-jobi) - The Magical Grass that Gives You Pearls

Forget the craft store – now you can grow your own jewelry! Job's Tears, also known as Japanese pearl barley, is an absolute wonder of nature and a spectacular ornamental grass for the garden. Instead of normal grass seeds, this plant produces teardrop-shaped, rock-hard, shiny "pearls" that look like polished porcelain. The absolute highlight: Mother Nature has even included the hole for stringing them!

Scope of delivery: One young plant in a 7cm pot.

Growth & Appearance

• Lifespan: Perennial in its tropical homeland, it is usually cultivated as an annual ornamental grass here.

• Growth height: A strong, stately grass that usually grows 60 to 120 cm (even up to 1.5 meters in ideal locations).

• Habit: Visually, the plant strongly resembles young corn. It forms thick stems and broad, rich green leaves.

• Flower & Fruit: The rather inconspicuous flowers appear from July to October. The actual spectacle follows thereafter: the up to 1.5 cm large, tear-shaped false fruits develop from the female flowers. They ripen in beautiful color shades from mother-of-pearl white over silver-grey and blue-grey to almost black and shine as if they were freshly varnished.

Origin, Provenance & Other Names

• Other names: This grass is known worldwide under many names. Here, it is often called Tränengras, Perlengras, Christusträne or Moses-Träne. In Asia and English-speaking regions, it is known as Job's Tears or Adlay (Adlay-millet).

• Origin: Its original home is tropical Southeast Asia (India, China, Malaysia). From there, it has spread to almost all tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

Usage (Jewellery, Cuisine & Medicine)

• As natural jewellery (rosaries & necklaces): The hard shell of the drops is so stable that it cannot be crushed with the fingers. Since the flower stalk runs exactly through the middle of the fruit, a perfect, continuous channel is created when the ripe pearl is pulled off the stalk. The pearls can be strung immediately and without drilling! For centuries, Christian rosaries, Buddhist prayer beads, bracelets and baby teething rings have been made from Job's Tears worldwide.

• How long has it been cultivated? Job's Tears is a truly historic cultivated plant! Archaeological findings prove that it was cultivated in parts of India and China over 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. It was an important staple food in many Asian regions long before rice began its great triumph there.

• Is this hard wild form edible? (Dentist warning!): The answer is: theoretically yes, practically no! The inner core of the seeds is indeed edible, very nutritious and gluten-free, but the extremely hard, porcelain-like shell of this specific wild form (Coix lacryma-jobi var. lacryma-jobi) is an absolute tooth killer. You would have to painstakingly crack it with tools. This is precisely why farmers thousands of years ago bred a soft-shelled variant (var. ma-yuen). Only this soft cultivated form is eaten today in Asia as "Adlay millet," cooked like rice or used for soups and teas. So our hard wild form definitely belongs around the neck or on the wrist – not in the cooking pot!

• In natural medicine (TCM): In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the seeds are known as "Yi Yi Ren" and are used for drainage, joint pain, and skin care.

• In floristry: The branches with the hanging pearl drops are a dreamlike eye-catcher in autumnal dried flower arrangements!

Location, Care & Gardener Tips (Caution, Thirsty!)

• Location: Full sun and as warm as possible. A sheltered spot in front of a south-facing wall is ideal.

• Soil & Watering: Here lies the secret! Job's Tears is a marsh plant in its homeland. It really doesn't like normal, dry potting soil. The soil must be extremely nutrient-rich and, most importantly, always moist to wet. You can even plant it at the edge of a garden pond or place the pot in a constantly filled water saucer.

• Harvest: Harvest in late summer/autumn, as soon as the drops lose their green color, harden, and turn slightly greyish/whitish. If left on the plant too long, they will fall off by themselves.