The cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) is an annual cultivated for its edible seeds or for fodder. Prostrate varieties grow to about 80 cm and climbing cultivars up to 2 m. It has a well developed root system. The leaves are trifoliate with oval leaflets, The papillonaceous flowers can be white, yellowish, pale blue or violet and are distributed along axillary clusters. Pods occur in pairs forming a . Seeds can be white, pink, brown or black