Pea
Description
!Ripe pods dehiscing to shed ripe seeds ([MHNT)](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/PisumsativumMHNT.BOT.2010.12.9.jpg/250px-PisumsativumMHNT.BOT.2010.12.9.jpg)
Description
Peas have both low-growing and vining cultivars. The vining cultivars grow thin tendrils from leaves that coil around any available support and can climb to be 1 to 2 metres (3 to 7 ft) high. A traditional approach to supporting climbing peas is to thrust branches pruned from trees or other woody plants upright into the soil, providing a lattice for the peas to climb. Branches used in this fashion are called pea sticks or sometimes pea brush. Metal fences, twine, or netting supported by a frame are used for the same purpose. In dense plantings, peas give each other some measure of mutual support. Pea plants can self-pollinate.
Taxonomy
Carl Linnaeus gave the species the scientific name Pisum sativum in 1753 (meaning cultivated pea). Some sources now treat it as Lathyrus oleraceus, although the need and justification for this change is disputed.
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