cultivated forms of Vigna unguiculata, annual plants within the pea family (Fabaceae). In other countries they are commonly known as China bean, or black-eyed bean. The plants are believed to be native to India and the Middle East but in early times were cultivated in China. The compound leaves have three leaflets. The white, purple, or pale-yellow flowers usually grow in pairs or threes at the ends of long stalks. The pods are long and cylindrical. Those of V. unguiculata, variety catjang grow 7.5–12.5 centimetres (3–5 inches) long; those of V. unguiculata, variety sinensis grow 20–30 cm (7 ²/₃–11 ²/₃ inches) long. In the southern United States the cowpea is extensively grown as a hay crop, as a green-manure crop, or for the beans, which are used for human consumption.