NAME: Cajanus cajan
FAMILY: Fabaceae/ Leguminosae.
COMMON NAMES: Red gram, congo pea, gungo pea, and no-eye pe
LOCAL NAMES: Otili, Orela, Tur, Arhar, Adhaki
MORPHOLOLIGAL DESCRIPTION: Pigeon pea is a short-lived, erect, growing legume plant about 4m tall with erect ribbed, densely pubescent stems
USEFUL PART(s): Seed, leaves, shoot
GENERAL USES:
Pigeon peas are edible seed, the young shoots and leaves can also be cooked and eaten
Pigeon peas are also use for medicinal purposes
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
India, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda
WHY IS IT GREEN?
Cajanus cajan medicinal values include
Smallpox,
chickenpox,
diuretic,
laxative,
haemostatic,
astringent,
measles,
mouth wash.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
FUN FACT
Pigeon pea was domesticated in India 3,500 years ago.
FURTHER READINGS
Duker-Eshun, G., Jaroszewski, J. W., Asomaning, W. A., Oppong-Boachie, F., & Christensen, S. B. (2004). Antiplasmodial Constituents of Cajanus cajan. Phytotherapy Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.1375
Oshodi, A. A., & Ekperigin, M. M. (1989). Functional properties of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) flour. Food Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/0308-8146(89)90139-8
Sharma, K. K., Sreelatha, G., & Dayal, S. (2006). Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.). In Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0433-3_5
Summerfield, R. J., & Roberts, E. H. (2018). Cajanus cajan. In Handbook of Flowering: Volume I. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781351072533