FNPS Plant Database

Vigna luteola

hairypod cowpea
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

hairypod cowpea

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Vigna luteola

Family:

Fabaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Vine

Size:

Scrambling vine. , Stems 6–10 ft or longer and can make mounds up–about 6 ft tall

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

yellow

Fruit Color:

brown legume

Phenology:

Annual to perennial. Can bloom year round. More likely to fruit in fall

Noted For:

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Naturalistic areas especially near the coast.

Considerations:

Tends to be weedy in behavior and appearance.

Availability:

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Somewhat moist, no flooding -to- Somewhat long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Soil pH:

Suitable to Grow In:

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Caterpillars, Mammals

Larval host for cassius blue (Leptotes cassius), dorantes longtail (Urbanus dorantes), gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), and long-tailed skipper (Urbanus proteus) butterflies. Nectar source for gray hairstreak. Attracts bees which are documented pollinators of the genus.

Likely used as forage by species such as deer. Good cover.

Native Habitats:

Coastal areas, flatwoods, disturbed areas

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

The flowers and seeds are edibe. This is botanicallly a bean kin to mung beans and black-eyed peas (also botanically a bean). The flowers can be eaten raw or cooked and apparently taste much like green beans. The seeds and seed pods The seeds may be boiled and eaten. Very young whole seedpods are eaten raw as a trailside nibble, although they tend to get stringy when they approach two inches long (Florida Foraging). Can also be grown for forage and for soil enrichment.

General Comments:

Range includes areas usually relatively near the coast in Southeastern United States west to Texas, north to North Carolina, and south to the Monroe County Keys; and Mexico, the Neotropics and Bermuda. Rare in the northern parts of its range and in the Florida keys.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Dean, Jordan. (Undated).Hairy Cowpea - Eat the Weds. ( https://www.eattheweeds.com/hairy-cowpea/ ). Accessed 2026.


Dingha, B. N., L.E. Jackai, B.A. Amoah, and C. Akotsen-Mensah. (2021). Pollinators on Cowpea Vigna unguiculata : Implications for Intercropping to Enhance Biodiversity. Insects, 12(1), 54. ( https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12010054 ). Accessed 2026.


Gann, G.D., C.J. Abbott, C.G. Stocking, K.N. Hines, and collaborators. (2001+). Cowpea, Hairypod Cowpea [in] Natives For Your Neighborhood. ( https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Vignlute ). Accessed 2026. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, FL.


Hammer, Roger. (2018). Complete Guide to Florida Wildflowers. Falcon Guides, Guilford, CT.

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