Cowpea
Vigna unguiculata
Black-eyed pea and yardlong bean are cultivar groups of this species. Heat-tolerant. A Southern field pea, not a garden pea (Pisum).
GROW → HARVEST → EAT → DRY → POWDER → CAPSULE → GUMMY — forms are not equivalent. Food first.
Identity
Also called: black-eyed pea, crowder pea
What it is
Black-eyed pea and yardlong bean are cultivar groups of this species. Heat-tolerant. A Southern field pea, not a garden pea (Pisum).
Edible portions
- young pods of some types
- dry seeds
- leaves in some cuisines
Absence of a portion from this list means it is not treated as food here — not that every other part is toxic.
Growing
- Climate. Hot season
- Light. Full sun, heat
- Soil. Tolerates leaner soils
- Planting. Direct-sow after real heat.
- Harvest. Snaps on yardlong types; dry peas when pods color.
Preparation and culinary uses
- Hoppin’ John, stewed field peas
Nutrition and compounds
- Minerals (qualitative). iron, folate, protein — look up current USDA FoodData Central entries for numbers.
AAA interpretation Food first. These associations explain why a plant shows up in a nutrient conversation — they are not a supplement shopping list.
Next steps
Sources
- USDA PLANTS Database — taxonomy and range (verify current entries)
- USDA FoodData Central — nutrient profiles for foods (verify current entries; this page does not invent milligrams)
- State cooperative extension growing guides — verify for your region
Honest incompleteness is preferred to fabricated completeness. If a section is missing, no record for it is attached here — not a claim that the plant lacks that characteristic, and not that it was omitted as a secret.
Internal quality class A. Strong page: distinctive plant facts plus practical growing or kitchen use.