Lathyrus oleraceus

Pisum sativum, commonly known as pea, is a valuable food source for millions of people throughout the world. Pea belongs to the plant family Leguminosae (also known as Fabaceae) and, like many legumes, it has the ability to fix nitrogen from the air through a symbiotic relationship with bacteria housed in root nodules, making it very rich in protein. Pea seeds are high in fibre, vitamins and important minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc. 
There are three main types of pea. Field pea is grown for the dry seeds, garden pea is cultivated for the immature green seeds and sugar pea is grown for the immature pods. 
The father of modern genetics, Gregor Mendel, famously performed breeding experiments with the pea and discovered the mechanisms governing inheritance by crossing different types of pea plants and observing the offspring. The pea is an ideal plant for genetic study because of the presence of observable traits with contrasting forms, its short life-cycle and its production of many offspring from one cross.

Lathyrus Oleraceus

Lathyrus oleraceus

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