| L |
not in Flora Eur. |
E | black-eyes pea, cow pea, crowder bean, Poona pea (!) | S | Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. Vigna sinensis Savi ex Hassk. |
| G | Kuherbse, Augenbohne, Langbohne | F | dolique à oeil noir, pois à oeil noir, pois à vache, dolique de Chine | I | fagiolo dall'occhio nero |
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O bean of many names! An Asian bean much loved the world over.
First, the scientific name has changed about four times (here for details). Second, the bean is phenotypically and genetically very changeable, so that not only do the beans of the main European type, ssp. unguiculata, appear quite various (as you can see), but there are other subspecies, like sequipedalis, asparagus bean, etc., the yard-long bean beans of Chinese kitchens. Third, the identification of Vergil's bean has changed. I'm just plumb tickled pink to think of Vergil with a plate of black-eyed peas. Pity he would never know the joys of Hoppin' John and corn bread.
A good story here. The Asian bean is brought to America c. 1675. It likes hot wet climates, and so becomes the staple black-eyed pea of Southern cooking. In exchange, we send the native Phaseolus vulgaris, your basic green bean and an old candidate for Vergil's bean, back to Europe, where it becomes the favorite. Such are The Seeds of Change.
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