Is cowpea a bean?

Cowpea is called cowpea directly in many places. In some places, cowpeas are called long beans to distinguish them from traditional cowpeas. Cowpea is a kind of cowpea, but cowpea is not necessarily cowpea.

morphological character

Annual twining plants, herbaceous lianas or nearly erect herbs, sometimes with twining tips and nearly hairless stems, and pinnately compound leaves with 3 leaflets; Stipules are lanceolate, about 65438±0cm long, with short spacing and straight lines at the insertion place; Leaflets are ovate-rhombic, 5~ 15 cm long and 4~6 cm wide, with acute apex, entire or nearly entire margin, sometimes lavender and glabrous.

Racemes are axillary, with long stalks, 2~6 flowers clustered at the top of inflorescence, and fleshy dense glands are often found between pedicels; Calyx light green, bell-shaped, 6~ 10 mm long, teeth lanceolate; Corolla yellow-white, slightly blue-purple, about 2 cm long, each petal has a stalk, the flag petal is oblate, about 2 cm wide, the top is slightly concave, there are a few spikes at the base, the wing petal is slightly triangular, the keel petal is slightly curved, and the ovary is linear and hairy.

The pods are drooping, erect or obliquely spreading, linear, 7.5 ~ 70cm long and 6 ~ 10mm wide, slightly fleshy, swollen or solid, and many seeds; The seeds are oval or cylindrical or slightly kidney-shaped, 6~ 12 mm long, yellow-white, dark red or other colors. The flowering period is from May to August.