Vigna unguiculata

Scientific name

Vigna unguiculata

Common name

Cowpea

Family

Fabaceae

Genome size (est.)

—

Chromosome number

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Vigna unguiculata (cowpea, black-eyed pea) is an Old-World pulse domesticated in West Africa from the wild V. unguiculata ssp. dekindtiana var. spontanea; it spread across Africa and later to the Mediterranean, India, and the Americas. Grown for dry grain, fresh pods (“vegetable cowpea”), tender leaves, and fodder haulms, it fits short-season rotations (≈60–90 days) and contributes substantial biological nitrogen fixation. Notable traits include strong drought and heat tolerance and good performance on low-fertility soils; key constraints are Maruca pod borer, bruchids in storage, aphids, and viruses. Typical smallholder yields are ∼0.5–1.0 t ha⁻¹, while improved management and dual-purpose varieties can reach ∼1.5–2.5 t ha⁻¹.