Austrian winter pea

Pisum sativum ssp. arvense

Climbing nitrogen-fixing annual legume with white to pink flowers, closely related to the garden pea. Prefers fertile, light-textured, well-drained soils; sensitive to salinity and high acidity. Water efficient and cold tolerant. Rapid and abundant forage producer with low bloat potential. Use for hay, silage, green manure or in wildlife food plots. May be grazed but easily damaged by trampling. Often seeded with cereal crops, especially Oats (Avena sativa), for climbing structure and to improve hay nutrition. May be fall-seeded, but also may be seeded in spring as a summer annual. Early and long blooming period attracts beneficial insects, honeybees and native pollinators. Some varieties are semi-leafless, with vining tendrils that replace leaflets and aid in upright growth and improved harvest.