Vigna unguiculata. These speckled seeds look like wild beans. They are pea size with white eyes. From a market in Sonora, Mexico. From our Seed Bank Collection.
I have grown about twenty varieties of cowpeas, but the Tetapeche has been the most reliable. It's a heavy producer. It also tolerates moderately soggy soil but only if the vines are given support. As with most other cowpea varieties, high heat is no problem. No twine is needed, for the vines are vigorous. The only downside of this variety is that the vines need supports much taller than would be needed for a typical staked tomato plant. This is a disease hardy variety, but its vulnerability to the cowpea weevil is the same as all other varieties. It can be damaged by the Mexican bean beetle in its earliest weeks of growth, but usually the aggressive growth of this variety (beginning after a month) mitigates the damage. Don't plant this is on the edge of your garden if you have deer.
