Pisum sativum L (SATINA)

A plant satina (under dhanyavarga) described by him is considered as P. sativum but he did not mention satina (P. sativum) under saka varga.  However, kaiyadeva quoted two types of kalaya viz., kalaya and triputa.  Author is of the opinion that L. sativusLinn. And L. pratensis are the respective botanical sources while satina is P. sativum.  Commenting on kaiyadeva ighantu P.V. Sharmaji considered both kalaya of sakavarga as well as satina of simbidhanya varga as P. sativum.  This view needs correction i.e., kalaya under saka varga is leaf of L. sativus and satina of simbidhanya is P. sativum.  Bhavamisra did not mention valli but mentioned igh kalaya and triputa.  Commenting on bhavaprakasa ighantu, K.C.Chunekarji quoted that kalaya is P. sativum while triputa is L. sativus.  On simple logic that kalaya (L. sativum) causes lathyrism but not P. sativum will avoid the confusion / controversy.

Botanical Description – P. sativum is an annual plant, with a life cycle of one year. It is a cool season crop grown in many parts of the world. P. sativum has been cultivated for thousands of years. The sites of cultivation have been described in southern Syria and southeastern Turkey, and the cultivation of peas with wheat and barley seems to be associated with the spread of Neolithic agriculture into Europe.

A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the legume Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Although treated as a vegetable in cooking, it is botanically a fruit. The name is also used to describe other edible seeds from the Fabaceae such as the pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), the cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), and the seeds from several species of Lathyrus.

Many varieties of P. sativum have been bred. Widely cultivated variations include:

• Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon is commonly known as the snow pea
• Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon ser. Cv. Is known as the sugar or snap pea or mange-tout

Both of these are eaten whole before the pod reaches maturity. The snow pea (often erroneously called “mange tout”) pod is eaten flat. In sugar snap peas, the pod becomes cylindrical but is eaten before the seeds inside develop while the pod is still crisp, hence the ‘snap’ term used.