in taxon pod or seed vegetable plant cowpea plant PLANTS:VIUN Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. ssp. unguiculata MANSFELD:27303 Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. The cowpea (*Vigna unguiculata*) is an annual herbaceous legume from the genus *Vigna. Due to its tolerance for sandy soil and low rainfall it is an important crop in the semi-arid regions across Africa and other countries. It requires very few inputs, as the plants root nodules are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen, making it a valuable crop for resource poor farmers and well-suited to intercropping with other crops. The whole plant is used as forage for animals, with its use as cattle feed likely responsible for its name. Four subspecies of cowpea are recognised, of which three are cultivated. Cultivated cowpeas are known by the common names black-eyed pea, southern pea, yardlong bean, catjang, and crowder pea.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowpea] vigna sinensis vigna unguiculata cowpea family Vigna unguiculata requires discussion