cowpea
Vigna unguiculata
USDA zones2 to 11
SunNeeds full sun (6+ hours)
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size2 to 6 feet tall12 to 24 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Habit
- Climbing
- Bloom season
- Summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Purple
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Notes
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is a climbing annual for the food garden. It is not cold-hardy and will not survive freezing temperatures. This plant likes full sun and dry to moist, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. It grows fast and can reach about 6 feet tall, so give it a trellis or other support. Purple flowers open from early to late summer, and it tolerates drought once settled.
Pairs well with Popcorn shoot, Celeriac, and Zucchini.
Native range
Tropical Africa.