Snow Peas

Snow peas come from the pod of the legume and are often eaten uncooked. They are a common ingredient found in Chinese cuisine.

Snow peas are believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants. Evidence shows that the plant was farmed in parts of the Thailand-Burma border area as many as 12,000 years ago. It is also believed that the name snow pea comes from the white colored tint of the plant.

Snow peas contain a bacteria called rhizobia. The bacteria is beneficial in that is fixes nitrogen in the soil. The higher levels of nitrogen are beneficial to other plants that share soil with snow peas.

Fast Facts

1. Earliest-known cultivated plant
2. Originated in Thailand
3. Contain beneficial bacteria called rhizobia
4. Named after their white tint

Snow Pea Classification

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Division: Magnoliophyta
• Class: Magnoliopsida
• Order: Fabales
• Family: Fabaceae
• Subfamily: Faboideae
• Genus: Pisum
• Species: Pisum sativum
• Variety: P. sativum var. macrocarpon

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