Black-eyed peas aren’t peas, but beans. And coffee beans aren’t beans, but seeds.

Bean is the name of many herbs of the Legume or Pea Family and their edible pods and seeds. But bean is also loosely applied to the pods or seeds of various trees and shrubs (as tamarind?coffee). In America, when used without qualification, the term refers to horticultural varieties of Phaseolus. The term pea refers only to the genus Pisum when used for the true peas. These are closely related to the very popular southern pea in that both are legumes (Family: Leguminosae). Southern peas are actually beans (Vigna sinensis) Also, peas have tendrils and beans do not. Also, vine growth patterns are different. Seed food storage structures (cotyledons) on beans emerge from the soil whereas on peas, they do not.