Mexican Jumping Beans and Their Host Plant (Sebastiana pavoniana)

The Bean Is Not the Plant

A Mexican jumping bean contains a moth pupa (caterpillar) that moves the bean. The host shrub, Sebastiana pavoniana, is native to the desert Southwest and northern Mexico.

No Need to Grow the Shrub

The bean's life cycle ends when the moth emerges, mates, lays eggs on another Sebastiana, and dies. The bean isn't "alive"—the insect inside is. If your bean doesn't complete its cycle, it won't harm the species.

Availability

Sebastiana pavoniana is not commonly available in US nurseries.