Hairy Pod Cowpea

Hairy Pod Cowpea (Vigna luteola) is native throughout most of the southeast United States, including Florida. This drought tolerant vine can take full sun and is a fast grower, quickly reaching a height of 6 feet or more.

The Dorantes Skipper (Urbanus dorantes), the Long-Tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus) and Grey Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) butterflies of Florida all use this plant as a larval host.

The genus is named for the 17th century Italian botanist and physician Dominico Vigna (1577-1647) who was a professor of botany in Pisa. Vigna wrote an important commentary on the botanical works of Greek botanist Theophrastus Enquiry into Plants and On the Causes of Plants. The species name, luteola, means "yellow" which is why this plant is also commonly called Yellow Vigna.