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- ‘Calhoun Crowder’ Southern Pea
A southern pea breeding program was initiated by Dr. P. L. Hawthorne at the Calhoun Research Station in 1941.The purpose of this program was to develop improved varieties for fresh market, home use and mechanical harvest. Over the next 50 years, Dr. Hawthorne, along with several of his colleagues and successors, would develop 6 southern pea varieties at the Calhoun Research Station. The first of those varieties was Calhoun Crowder (Iron X Large Speckled Crowder), developed by Dr. Hawthorne in 1947.This variety is a bush type plant with speckled brown crowder peas. Pods are green at fresh maturity with a purple pod tip. Seeds are light brown speckled when fresh and dark brown speckled when dry. Seeds for this variety were acquired from GRIN (PI 663010) and grown out in 2021 and 2022 for seed increase. Calhoun Crowder is a very productive pea with great nostalgic flavor perfect for home garden use. 63-70 days to maturity.
When collecting seeds, allow pods to dry completely on the vine. Calhoun Crowder seeds should be a dark, speckled brown.
Calhoun Crowder blooms are a deep attractive purple.
Calhoun Crowder pods are green at fresh maturity with a purple pod tip.
Excerpt from the 1953-1954 Research in Agriculture Annual Report on the Southern Pea Breeding Program initiated by P.L. Hawthorne and John C. Taylor in 1947.
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture