Breakfast-pea

The Breakfast-pea is a small pulse plant used as an important food crop in Astronasia.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Breakfast-pea is a small vinning plant which can grow between 20 and 200 centimetres high. The plant grow thin tendrils which coil either on the ground on around another plant for support. The leafs are wavy and grow up to 10 centimetres in length and 3 centimetres in width. These leaves have a orange-red colouration. The flowers have four white ray florets and a big yellow disc floret in the middle. The flowers and leafs together resemble eggs and bacon, giving the plant its name.

Genetics and Reproduction

Both wild and domesticated breakfast-peas are capable of self-pollination and have both male and female parts. Once pollinated the flowers turn into white pods which can grow up to 10 centimetres long. These pods contain around nine peas which are roundish in shape but have many irregularities. The peas are white, brown, or red depending on the area. It takes around 88 days for the breakfast-pea to grow from pea to pod but can't grow in the season of the Season of the Crab. This short life cycle allows the plant to be harvest three times every year.

Additional Information

Domestication

The breakfast-pea was one of the first plants domesticated on the continent by Astronasian farmers and formed the crop which would kick start the agrarian revolution in the Kallgoor Crescent. The wild breakfast-pea explodes its pods to disperse its peas around, but the domesticated plant keeps its pod closed and depends on farmers to reproduce itself.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The breakfast-pea is grown for its nutrient filled peas. Breakfast-peas are contrary to their name often eaten for diner as either cooked peas, soup, or paste. It is important the rinse the peas thoroughly before consuming as most of the Breakfast-pea plant contains a deadly dosses of cyanide. The leafs are especially toxic.

Average Height

20 - 200 centimetres