any of a variety (Pisum sativum macrocarpon) of the cultivated pea with edible pods
a distinct botanical variety or subspecies of Pisum sativum. The pod is slab-sided and is eaten before the string develops and the peas start to swell.
The green pea is grown for shelling, the peas being frozen, canned or eaten fresh. The other two strains are the snow pea and the sugar snap pea, which are known as `edible podded peas because they do not have the same fibre in the wall as the common garden pea, and so can be eaten whole.
