Practical
Plants

Pisum sativum arvense

Field Pea

an annual member of the Pisum genus in the family Leguminosae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Pisum
Life cycle
annual
Height
2 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Self. Occasionally bees
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Self. Occasionally bees

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - cooked or sprouted and eaten raw[4][9][11]. A good source of protein. The seeds of this sub-species tend to be of poorer quality than the species, being less rich in sugars. They are grown mainly for use when mature and dried. Young leaves - cooked[3].

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The seed is contraceptive, fungistatic and spermacidal[6]. The dried and powdered seed has been used as a poultice on the skin where it has an appreciable affect on many types of skin complaint including acne[12]. The oil from the seed, given once a month to women, has shown promise of preventing pregnancy by interfering with the working of progesterone[6]. The oil inhibits endometrial development[7]. In trials, the oil reduced pregnancy rate in women by 60% in a 2 year period and 50% reduction in male sperm count was achieved[7].

Product or use
Contraceptive
Product or use
Skin

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Sometimes grown as a spring sown green manure, plants produce a good bulk and fix a large quantity of nitrogen[9][13].

Ecology and functions

Green manure

Nitrogen fixer

Environment

Range
S. Europe? An occasional escape from cultivation in Britain.
Habitat
Waste ground.
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and sow it in situ from early to late spring. Germination should take place within 2 weeks.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a well-drained moisture retentive soil[1][2][8]. Prefers a calcareous soil[8]. Prefers a rich loamy soil[1]. A light soil and a sheltered position is best for early sowings[1]. This a more vigorous form of P. sativum with less sweet seeds which are usually eaten as a protein crop when they are mature. This sub-species is taken to include the Maple peas with varieties such as Minerva and Marathon[13]. Other varieties included in this group are 'Bavarian pea', 'Black-podded pea', East Prussian pea', Sand pea', Smyrna pea' and 'Konigsberger pea'[11]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[5]. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-050-0

    ↩

  3. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  4. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  6. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2

  7. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  8. Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  9. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  10. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

  11. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2

  12. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩

  13. Woodward. L. Burge. P. Green Manures. Elm Farm Research Centre. 1982-00-00

    ↩1↩2

Edit this page