薏苡(原变种) yi yi (yuan bian zhong)

Coix arundinacea Lamarck; C. lacryma Linnaeus, nom. illeg. superfl.; C. lacryma-jobi var. maxima Makino; Lithagro-stis lacryma-jobi (Linnaeus) Gaertner.

Utricle beadlike, ovoid, bony, glossy, not beaked, 7–11 × 6–10 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Oct.

Streams, marshy valleys, moist fields, by houses. Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xinjiang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam].

This is widely cultivated in tropical regions for the hard, beadlike utricles. There are many races with utricles in different shapes and colors, used for necklaces and other decorative purposes.