Oatmeal Farm Network | Black-Eyed Pea (Cowpea) Varieties

Variety Name	Description
African Red Pea	A broad designation for red-colored cowpea varieties common across various West African regions.
AU Triumph	A high-yielding, bush-type cowpea developed by Auburn University, known for resistance to root-knot nematode.
Bettergrow Blackeye	A widely used commercial blackeye variety known for high yield and adaptability across the Southern U.S.
Big Boy	Big Boy is a variety of black-eyed pea (cowpea) known for its distinctive flavor and regional cultivation.
Big Red	A large-seeded, uniform red variety that falls under the general cowpea classification.
Black Crowder	A variety of Crowder pea that develops a deep black seed coat; known for its bold flavor.
Blackeye No.5	Blackeye No.5 is a distinct variety of black-eyed pea (cowpea) known for regional cultivation or specific agronomic traits.
Black-Eyed Susan	A popular heirloom variety with a pronounced black eye and good shell-out quality.
Blue Goose	A Crowder type with a dark, mottled color and a rich, meaty texture.
Brown Crowder	A generic term for large-seeded Crowder peas with a uniform brown seed coat, common in the Southern U.S.
Bush Purple Hull	A generic term for all non-vining (bush) varieties of Purple Hull, desirable for smaller plots.
Calico	A Crowder variety known for its reddish-brown mottled seeds, offering a hearty flavor.
California Blackeye	California Blackeye is a variety of black-eyed pea (cowpea) known for its distinctive flavor and regional cultivation.
California Blackeye #46	A newer, more erect variety of the California Blackeye, with smaller seeds and a heavy yield.
California Blackeye #5	The classic, high-yielding commercial black-eyed pea standard used for canning and drying.
Chinese Red Noodle	A variety of yardlong bean (a cowpea subspecies, V. unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis), harvested as a green pod, but the dry seed is also a cowpea.
Colossus	A very high-yielding, large-seeded variety developed in the U.S. for both fresh market and processing.
Coronet	An heirloom Pinkeye Purple Hull type known for strong yields and deep purple pods.
Cream Crowder	A variety that combines the desirable plumpness of the Crowder pea with the small, pale seed of the Cream pea.
Cream Pea Dixie	A classic, heat-tolerant cream pea variety adapted for growing across the southeastern U.S.
Dimpled Brown Crowder	A prolific Crowder variety with brown seeds that are plump and excellent in flavor.
Dixie Lee	A popular variety known for its vigorous, heat-tolerant plants and light-brown eyed beans.
Early Scarlet	A quick-maturing cowpea with a striking, uniform red seed coat.
Elite AR	An early-maturing, high-yielding commercial cowpea cultivar developed in Arkansas.
Gray Crowder	A Crowder type with a distinct gray or grayish-brown seed coat.
Holstein	A unique heirloom variety known for its black and white speckled seed coat, similar to Holstein cattle spots.
Ife Brown	Ife Brown is a distinct variety of black-eyed pea (cowpea) known for regional cultivation or specific agronomic traits.
Iron & Clay	Iron & Clay is a distinct variety of black-eyed pea (cowpea) known for regional cultivation or specific agronomic traits.
Iron Clay	An old field pea variety (brown/clay-colored) often used as a cover crop and known for its exceptional vigor and nematode resistance.
Kano White	Kano White is a distinct variety of black-eyed pea (cowpea) known for regional cultivation or specific agronomic traits.
Knuckle Purple Hull	A bush-type Purple Hull known for its heavy yields and large, plump peas that make the pods look "knuckled."
Ladino	A type of small, white cowpea, often grouped with Lady Peas, prized for its small size and delicate flavor.
Lady Cream Pea	The smallest, most tender, and delicate of the cowpeas, known for a clear pot liquor.
Lady Pea	Lady Pea is a variety of black-eyed pea (cowpea) known for its distinctive flavor and regional cultivation.
Magnolia Blackeye	A black-eyed type variety bred for the Gulf Coast region, noted for high yields and good disease resistance.
Mississippi Purple	A high-yielding Crowder type with reddish-purple pods and large brown peas that are very easy to shell.
Mississippi Silver	A variety with silvery-green pods and large, meaty brown seeds, easy to grow and shell.
Monarch Blackeye	A commercial black-eyed pea variety known for its concentrated pod-set, making mechanical harvesting easier.
Nigerian Brown	A general term for the robust, brown-skinned cowpea landraces heavily consumed in Nigeria.
Old Timer	A general heirloom designation for various regional cowpea landraces with excellent traditional flavor.
Olivers Purple Hull	An heirloom Purple Hull variety prized for its excellent flavor and tenderness when fresh.
Pinkeye Purple Hull	One of the most popular Southern varieties; peas are cream-colored with a pink eye, and the pods turn purple when mature.
Quickpick Pinkeye	A bush-type Pinkeye variety known for its early maturity and ease of picking.
Red Ripper	An aggressive, vining heirloom variety producing long, red-maroon seeds, popular for cover cropping and drying.
Running Conch	A rare, vining, heirloom cowpea known for its large, meaty, cream-colored seeds and robust flavor.
Sadandy	A well-regarded Cream Pea type with medium maturity, excellent for fresh shelling.
Semi-Vining Pinkeye	A variety that exhibits an intermediate growth habit, between bush and full vine, adapted for mechanical picking.
Small Blackeye	A specialized blackeye variety selected for its small seed size, often used in specific processing applications.
Sokoto Blackeye	Sokoto Blackeye is a distinct variety of black-eyed pea (cowpea) known for regional cultivation or specific agronomic traits.
Speckled Purple Hull	A specific Purple Hull type where the seeds are also speckled with dark purple or brown markings.
Sumptuous	A high-yielding, modern cultivar of the Pinkeye Purple Hull type, noted for its rich flavor.
Swat	An Asian variety (Pakistan/India) known for its tolerance to drought and high-temperature conditions.
Texas Cream 40	A prolific cream pea variety known for its unique orange-eyed seeds.
Tohono O'odham Cowpea	A desert-adapted Crowder landrace from the Native American Tohono O'odham Nation.
Whippoorwill	An old heirloom variety known for its brown-speckled seeds and dark pot liquor, popular for forage and dry beans.
Whippoorwill Brown	A selection of Whippoorwill with a more uniform brown seed coat.
White Acre	An old heirloom Cream Pea that matures early and produces over a long period.
Zambia Blackeye	Zambia Blackeye is a distinct variety of black-eyed pea (cowpea) known for regional cultivation or specific agronomic traits.
Zipper Cream	A cream-colored variety prized for its large seeds and ease of shelling (the hull "zips" open).