Pisum sativum

A small green dry bean with an earthy, sweet flavor and soft texture, split green peas are believed to have originated in western Asia. In the New World, the first peas were planted in 1494 at La Isabella, the ill-fated settlement on Hispaniola established by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage. Apparently, the peas fared better than the colonizers because by 1602 they were found growing native in villages of Florida.