Botanical illustration from the book by
Francisco Manuel Blanco Flora de Filipinas ,
1880-1883 Cow peas have straight or creeping stems with large triple leaves [2] .
Flowers are usually a yellowish green hue [2] .
Beans are about 10 cm long, each containing four to ten seeds.
About one and a half dozen subspecies are common in various parts of the world.
Some of them:
- Vigna unguiculata subsp. dekindtiana ( Harms ) Verdc. , grows wild in western Africa.
- Vigna unguiculata subsp. cylindrica (L.) Verdc. ( en: Catjang ) is cultivated in Ethiopia and other tropical countries.
- Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis (L.) Verdc. ( en: Yardlong beans ) is cultivated as a substitute for green beans , has the longest fruits in nature - up to 1 meter [3] .
- Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata ( en: Black-eyed pea ) is a popular ingredient in New Year’s dishes in the southern United States (according to local beliefs, it brings good luck).
Cow Peas (
Vienna Dioscorides ,
Byzantium , VI century)
Vigna is widely cultivated as a fodder crop in West and Central Africa (the largest producer is Nigeria ), in the tropical regions of America (especially in Brazil ), in the south and east of Asia, in Russia - in the North Caucasus .
Residents of the southern United States eat cow peas for food. From traditional cowpea and rice, they traditionally prepare a New Year’s dish called " Prancing John ."
| The largest producers of cow peas (2017) [4] |
|---|
| A country | Production (tons) |
|---|
| Nigeria | 3 409 992 |
| Niger | 1 959 082 |
| Burkina Faso | 603 966 |
| Tanzania | 200 940 |
| Cameroon | 198 201 |
| Myanmar | 178 582 |
| Kenya | 146 342 |
| Mali | 145 018 |
| Sudan | 129 856 |
| Mozambique | 87 723 |
| The whole world | 7 407 924 |
