Difference between black beans and cowpeas

1. The difference of leaves

The leaflets of black beans are 6 to 13 cm long, 4 to 8.5 cm wide, oval, broadly oval or narrowly oval in shape, and covered with yellow stiff hairs on both sides.

The leaflets of cowpea are about 4 cm long and 3.5 cm wide. The leaves are smaller and nearly diamond-shaped, with shorter petioles, about 5 mm long.

2. Differences in seeds

The seeds of black beans are oval or spherical, slightly flat, about 6 to 12 mm long and 5 to 9 mm in diameter. The appearance is relatively shiny, with a light yellow-white oblong hilum on one side. The seed coat is relatively thin and brittle, and the color is yellow-green or light yellow. The pod is rectangular lanceolate, 5 to 7 cm long and about 1 cm wide.

The seeds of cowpea are quadrangular in shape, small in size, about 3 mm in length, and the pods are linear, 4.5 cm long and 5 mm wide.