Cow pea
Family Leguminosae: Papilionaceae (or Fabaceae)
Vigna unguiculata, the cowpea (V. unguiculata 1), is an annual herb with trifoliate leaves and dirty white flowers, 2-3 cm in diameter. It is grown in 2 distinct forms: as a short erect plant grown for the mature seeds, which are used in a dried condition (V. unguiculata 2); and as a climbing form grown for its tender pods which are eaten as a vegetable. Climbing forms have longer pods (V. unguiculata 5) than the erect forms. The dried seeds are also known as black-eye pea, China pea, Kaffir pea and marble pea. Varieties grown for their pods are also known as Bodi bean, and snake bean.
One variety, Vigna unguiculata var. sesquipedalis, with pods up to 1 m long, is called yard-long bean (V. unguiculata 3).
Distribution
Cowpeas are of ancient cultivation in Africa and Asia, and were grown by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Spaniards took it to the West Indies in the 16th century. It was taken to the US around 1700.
Use
Today cowpeas are widely distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics. In Africa and the US it is mainly grown for its seeds, in Asia mainly for the edible pods (V. unguiculata 4). Young shoots and leaves are eaten as spinach. It is also an important fodder plant.