Common Name: Black-Eyed Pea

General Information

Vigna unguiculata unguiculata is an annual climbing plant growing up to 4 metres tall.
The plant is often cultivated for its edible seed in the warm temperate to the tropical zones. An abundant cropper, it can produce a harvest all year round in the Tropics, especially if new sowings are made every few months[]. The plant it is also grown as a green manure.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Original range is uncertain, perhaps tropical Africa.

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual Climber
Height	4.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated

Cultivation Details

A plant of the lowland tropics, where it can also be cultivated at elevations up to 1,500 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 35°c, but can tolerate 10 - 40°c[]. The plant cannot tolerate frost It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 600 - 1,500mm, but tolerates 400 - 4,100mm[].
Prefers a position in full sun, tolerating light shade[]. Succeeds in a wide variety of soils, from sandy loams to clays, so long as they are well-drained[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7.5, tolerating 4.3 - 8.8[]. Good yields have been obtained on peaty soils, but the plant dislikes alkaline soils since this reduces nodulation of bacteria on the roots and causes chlorosis of the leaves[].
Young seed pods can be harvested about 2 months after sowing, whilst mature seeds can be obtained in 3 - 5 months[]. Up to 6 tonnes per hectare of pods can be obtained per hectare, or 400 - 750kg of dried seed[].
There are many named varieties[, ]. Most cultivars are day-length neutral, though short-day forms are also known[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[]. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked[]. They can be eaten whilst still green or allowed to dry[]. The immature seeds are used as a vegetable - they can be steamed, boiled, stir-fried etc[]. Mature seeds are added to soups and stews, ground into a powder and used with cereal flour for making cakes, bread etc, or fermented into dosa[]. The seeds can also be sprouted and then eaten raw or cooked in stir-fries etc[].

The roasted seed can be ground into a powder and used like coffee[].

Immature seedpods - raw or cooked[, ].

Leaves - cooked like spinach[].

Medicinal

The crushed leaves are used in a poultice to heal and bond broken bones[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Grown as a green manure crop[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 12 hours in warm water and sow 1 - 3cm deep in situ[]. The seed germinates best when the soil temperature is above 21c[].

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