The Pea Family is characterized by its irregularly shaped flower containing five petals: a banner, two wings and a keel (which is comprised of two petals that look like one). The Pea Family also produces pea-like pods that open along two seams and often have pinnate (opposite) leaves.
Some members of the Pea Family include clover, lupine, most beans and legumes, wild licorice and alfalfa. There are 13,000 species belonging to the eight tribes of the Pea Family.
Here is a photo of a kidney bean blossom that we sprouted way back here. Notice the banner, wings and keel.
Here are the boys' drawings of the Pea Guardian from Shanleya's Quest.
Some fun ideas:
Sprout any bean you have lying around the house. Record its growth in your botany notebook each day.
Draw and label the parts of a seed. Determine whether beans (and the entire pea family) are monocots or dicots.
Make Black Bean Chili for dinner or another meal made from peas or beans.
Read The Princess and the Pea and Jack and the Beanstalk
Have fun!
