Peas \ वाटाणे

Pea refers to the plant Pisum sativum, as well as its small, edible, round seed or the pod (fruit) in which the seed grows. Pisum sativum was one of the first plants cultivated by humans and remains an important food crop today. This species is a member of the legume family, Fabaceae, along with beansand peanuts.

Some other species belonging to the legume family (also called the “pea family”) are also called peas, including the chickpea or garbanzo bean, Cicer arietinum, and the cowpea or black-eyed pea, Vigna unguiculata.  Through a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, peas play a role in the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can utilize. This harmonious, mutually beneficial relationship between diverse species is also utilized in agriculture for the replenishing of soils depleted of nitrogen due to the planting of non-leguminous crops.

The pea plantThe pea plant is an annual herb and can be a bush or vine depending on the variety. As it grows quickly, the stems are slender and small in diameter. They grow to a length of 30 to 150 cm (1 to 5 feet). The pea plant can tolerate frost and can therefore sprout in the early spring. The flowers are white, pink, or purple and blossom sequentially starting from the bottom of the plant. Cultivated peas are self-pollinating