Salmon Flowered Crown
(English Crown Pea, Tufted Pea)
(Crown Pea) A crowning-type pea with salmon coloured flowers. Unlike regular garden peas, it only forms flowers/pods at the top of its stems. According to pea breeder and collector Rebsie Fairholm, this variety was common in the 17th and 18th century. 1, 2
“Once common in seed lists of the 17th and 18th century, and still mentioned in gardening books in the mid 19th century, they are now all but unknown in cultivation and mostly of interest to geneticists. Their radically different stem shape meant they were classed as a separate species, Pisum umbellatum, but this was dropped when it became apparent that a small genetic factor is behind their odd appearance and they’re not botanically any different from the usual Pisum sativum. This pink variety, donated to the Heritage Seed Library in recent years, is a relic of this old umbellatum type.” (Daughter of the Soil 1)
Days to Maturity: