Michels

Vines with moderate climbing tendency. Violet flowers. Purple pigmentation at nodes and on racemes. Non-pigmented pods. Slightly curved, pendant pods, 8-10.5" long by 0.4" wide. Standard productivity. Varying degrees of color intensity. Oblong, cream-colored seeds with brown mottling and tan eyes. Some seeds have a darker base color more tan than white/cream and darker brown mottling. Dry cowpeas have a standard flavor. 5-20 seeds per pod. Mid-season maturing. Donated to SSE by Audrey (Michels) Kreutzer. The seeds were originally collected in 1941 by Audrey's brother, Vince Michels, from a field in Tennessee which his army unit marched past while on maneuvers. It became a favorite of Vince's father, Fred Michels of Earling, IA who began raising the variety and used it in soup. Previously distributed by SSE as COWPEA 182 'Kreutzer'. SSE Accession # 108977