For those of a tropical climate.....

[Pulsegleaner]

Jibril (my reliable seed seller on Etsy from Ghana) has added a surprisingly diverse pigeon pea grex to his shop.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/831289...ick_sum=125183a1&ref=shop_home_active_5&frs=1

 

[heirloomgal]

It truly is amazing the diversity of plants in this world.... 🌎 So many neat varieties in that link.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Actually, the really interesting thing is that there ARE both brown and black spotted peas in that mix. Generally, the two are separated geographically, with the brownish ones being found in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the purply-black and black spotted ones being found in Southeast Asia (like in the Philippines). I can only surmise that someone brought in seed from BOTH areas to make the mix.

 

[heirloomgal]

Actually, the really interesting thing is that there ARE both brown and black spotted peas in that mix. Generally, the two are separated geographically, with the brownish ones being found in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the purply-black and black spotted ones being found in Southeast Asia (like in the Philippines). I can only surmise that someone brought in seed from BOTH areas to make the mix.

Strangely, those peas do actually slightly resemble the colouring of pigeons, minus the beige toned seeds!

With all these highly unique plant varieties that you grow @Pulsegleaner, you must have amassed a wide variety of specimens over the years. I imagine most (?) of the overseas seed you get grows for you either as an annual, or you must overwinter them indoors. I have a friend in another province who has grown pigeon peas, I'm not sure where she got them from, but from what she described they grow very, very differently than P. vulgaris beans or even soy. I think they will actually grow into somewhat of a bush or something similar; I vaguely recall that she didn't enjoy the taste of them though.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Strangely, those peas do actually slightly resemble the colouring of pigeons, minus the beige toned seeds!

What, you've never seen an all beige pigeon? With all the interbreeding between wild Eurasian rock doves (i.e. the "pigeons" most of us think of in an urban context) and "fancy" types (as bred by pigeon fanciers) is so common that pretty much any decent size urban flock will have a lot of variant ones*, undoubtedly including pure beige.**

With all these highly unique plant varieties that you grow @Pulsegleaner, you must have amassed a wide variety of specimens over the years.

That's true, though the relatively poor amount of success I have with getting most of them to grow and flourish means the seed DISAPPEARS pretty quickly as well.

I imagine most (?) of the overseas seed you get grows for you either as an annual, or you must overwinter them indoors.

It sort of depends on what plant we are talking about. Most of the stuff I pick out of bags is weedy herbs or small vines, so they tend to be annual by nature, grow, flower, make seed, then die. There are a FEW smallish quick growing shrubs and trees that show up (like Horse Tamarind) but I am already familiar with most of those, and so have little or no incentive to actually plant them.

There have been a FEW things that, when brought in, have kept going for extended periods of time. The unknown weed I referred to as "paddle leaf" kept growing and seeding for about three years. And my Manihot plant technically is STILL going after four (though it has now lost about 80-90% of it's mass, and may be on its way out.

With the seeds I have actually ORDERED (or, I suppose most of the ones I pulled out of fruit, like the citruses, yes they are Indoor plants for now (though we try and bring the pots out over the summer to give them some sun).

The main problem is that there is only so much ROOM we have for houseplants, so growing each one is something I have to give great thought to.

I have a friend in another province who has grown pigeon peas, I'm not sure where she got them from, but from what she described they grow very, very differently than P. vulgaris beans or even soy. I think they will actually grow into somewhat of a bush or something similar; I vaguely recall that she didn't enjoy the taste of them though.

Yes, they are bushy. As for the taste, it may be one of those things where you have to grow into it culturally.

I actually have NOT ever grown domestic pigeon peas, thought I did grow a wild strain the year before last (I think***) as well as it's close relative Cajanus scaraboides . As I recall both of those just sort of lagged around and never really got anywhere.

*This includes a puzzling picture I saw once on a cryptozoological forum thread of a city pigeon in Barcelona whose back feathers had patches of bright yellow and red! Assuming the photo was legit and the colors natural, maybe that was some sort of freak hybrid between the Rock Dove and one of the colorful tropical pigeon species.

** Though I can't seem to recall ever seeing an actual "dove" (i.e. an all white pigeon) in the wild (lots of mostly white ones, but no pure). Maybe it's too much of a disadvantage in survival out in the wild. Or maybe all of the pure white ones are caught by fanciers for their flocks (or up and coming magicians for their acts!)

*** I never truly identified those seeds, but they looked sort of like mini pigeon peas (in both seed and plant) hence my guess.