Vigna sinensis

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

Vigna sinensis
    n 1: sprawling Old World annual cultivated especially in
         southern United States for food and forage and green manure
         [syn: {cowpea}, {cowpea plant}, {black-eyed pea}, {Vigna
         unguiculata}, {Vigna sinensis}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Cowpea \Cow"pea`\ (kou"p[=e]`), n.
   1. The seed of one or more leguminous plants of the genus
      {Dolichos}; also, the plant itself. Many varieties are
      cultivated in the southern part of the United States.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Bot.) A leguminous plant ({Vigna Sinensis}, syn. {Vigna
      Catjang}) found throughout the tropics of the Old World.
      It is extensively cultivated in the Southern United States
      for fodder, and the seed is used as food for man.
      [Webster 1913 Suppl.]