Pulses are in the legume family (podded plants) but vary due to their dry edible seed. Dry beans, dry peas, chickpeas, and lentils are all harvested once the moisture in the seed and pod has depleted. Pulses also have higher protein and fiber than other legumes, as well as low fat content. For more information on pulses please visit ​What Are Pulses - USA Pulses

Image Credit: USA Pulses

Peas contain the pigment known as anthocyanin which gives plants and fruit a red-purple color. This is the same pigment that gives grapes or apple skin their coloring. There was a demand to breed out this pigment due to the anthocyanin making the purple-flowered pea more bitter-tasting to humans and animals than a white-flowered pea.

Image credit Simon Cross Genetics 4

When peas emerge from the pea pod, we are able to track their growth through means of "counting nodes" after the initial scale leaf. Each node produces a new leaf or branch off on the main stem. Typically, peas will start to bloom between the first 15-17 nodes. There are two types of pea plants, a full-leaf pea and an affilla or semi-leafless pea, both can be applied to the node scaling to measure maturity. The full-leafed pea will grow multiple leaves from a node, whereas a semi-leafless will produce a leaf and tendrils from a node. Semi-leafless have these tendrils in order to have better standing capability due to the heights a pea plant can reach.

Image by Saskatchewan Pulse Growers