Botanical description of Pisum sativum (Pea Plant)

Botanical description of Pisum sativum (Pea Plant)

Habit: Cultivated herb, becoming shrubby.

Root: Branched tap root system, nodulated due to the presence of nitrogen fixing bacteria (Rhizobium leguminosorum).

Stem: Erect and climbing, one to three feet high, young stem densely pubescent, somewhat angular, herbaceous, green and branched.

Leaves: Alternate, petiolate, stipulate, stipules ¼ to ½ inch long attached near the base, compound (trifoliate), leaflets dark green, entire, acuminate, pubescent on both the sides, reticulate venation.

Inflorescence: Clustered axillary racemes.

Flower: Bracteate (small and deciduous), bracteolate (usually persistent), pedicellate, heterochlamydeous, complete, bisexual, pentamerous, zygomorphic and hypogynous.

Calyx: Sepals 5, green synsepalous, companulate, showing valvate aestivation. Odd sepal is anterior in position.

Corolla: Petals 5, apopetalous, irregular papillionaceous, consisting of a posterior standard, two lateral wings, two anterior ones forming a keel which encloses stamen and pistil, vexillary / descendingly imbricate aestivation.

Androecium: Stamens 10, diadelphous (9)+1 nine stamens fused to form a bundle and the tenth one is posterior and free. Anthers dithecous, basifixed, introse and dehisce longitudinally.

Gynoecium: Monocarpellary, ovary superior, unilocular, with many ovules on marginal placentation, style simple and curved, stigma capitate.

Fruit: Legume

Seed: non-endospermous with thick cotyledons.

Economic Importance