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Cajanus cajan
Also called Pigeonpea, Congo Pea, Red Gram, Yellow Dhal, Cajan, Catjan, Catjan Pea
Pigeon pea is a perennial legume grown widely in tropical and semitropical regions for its edible seeds, which are high in protein. Plants can persist for three to five years, though seed yield drops after the first two, so many growers use annual varieties for seed production.
The pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) is a perennial legume from the family Fabaceae native to the Eastern Hemisphere. The pigeon pea is widely cultivated in tropical and semitropical regions around the world, being commonly consumed in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Pigeon peas can be of a perennial variety, in which the crop can last three to five years (although the seed yield drops considerably after the first two years), or an annual variety more suitable for seed production.
Pigeon peas contain high levels of protein and the important amino acids methionine, lysine, and tryptophan.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Pigeon pea by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
