cow pea

Family

Fabaceae

Scientific Name

Vigna unguiculata

Other Common Names:

crowder pea

caupi

yardlong bean

southern pea

catjang

blackeyed pea

field pea

Leaves

The two lateral leaves are asymmetrical, and the terminal leaf is symmetrical. The plant also has extra floral nectaries, small pores on its leaves and stems of leaves that release nectar and attract beneficial insects.

Identifying Characteristics

Cowpea is a warm-season, annual legume that exhibits a wide range of growth habits. Varieties may be short and bushy, prostrate, or tall and vine-like. Canopy heights can be 2 "3 feet, depending on the variety. The upright stems are hollow and hairless, roughly 0.4 or 2/5 inch (1 cm) wide. The stems of twining varieties are thinner. The 4 inch (10 cm) long and 3 inch (8 cm) wide leaves are three-parted, egg-shaped, and hairless.

Flower Seed Head

The branchless inflorescence produces stemmed flowers, 1 inch (2.5 cm) long, along the main axis. The flowers can be purple or white. The lowermost whorl of leaves under the flower is bell-shaped. The lobes of the flower are fused, and the lateral petals are shorter than the upper petal.

Seed Fruit

The seeds are born in 3 to 6-inch (8-15 cm) long, slender, round, two-valved pods growing from the leaf axils. There are roughly 6-13 seeds per pod growing within spongy tissue. The kidney-shaped seeds are white with a black mark around the scar that marks the point of attachment to the seed stalk.

Where Found

In the United States, cowpea can be found in cultivation from the Great Lakes south to Florida, from the Atlantic coast west to Texas, and in California.

Growth Habit

woody bush or tree

Thorns or Spines

not present

Approximate Flower Diameter

Varies:

nickle,

quarter

Dominant Flower Color

purple

Flower Symmetry

bilateral symmetry

Leaf Hairs

no hairs

Leaf Shape

Varies:

lance,

oval

Leaf Arrangement

alternate

Leaf Margin

entire

Leaf Structure

trifoliate

Leaf Stalk

longer than leaf

Stem Hairs

Varies:

has hairs,

no hairs

Stem Cross Section

round or oval

Milky Sap

not present

Root Structure

taproot

Life Cycle

summer annual

Ochrea

not present

Plant Type

Vine