0713.35.00.00 - Cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata)

This HTS category, 0713.35.00.00, specifically covers dried, shelled cowpeas, scientifically known as *Vigna unguiculata*. Cowpeas, often referred to as black-eyed peas, are a type of legume widely cultivated for their edible beans. Classification under this heading requires that the cowpeas be in a dried state, meaning their moisture content has been significantly reduced. They must also be shelled, meaning the beans have been removed from their pods. The "whether or not skinned or split" clause indicates that cowpeas that have undergone these further processing steps, such as removing the outer skin or splitting the bean, still fall within this classification.

It is crucial to distinguish this category from its siblings. While all fall under "Beans (Vigna spp., Phaseolus spp.)", 0713.35.00.00 is exclusively for cowpeas (*Vigna unguiculata*). For example, 0713.31.00 covers mung beans and urd beans (*Vigna mungo* or *Vigna radiata*), 0713.33.00 is for common beans like kidney beans (*Phaseolus vulgaris*), and 0713.34.00 is designated for bambara beans. Any dried, shelled beans from the *Vigna unguiculata* species that do not fit into the other more specific bean categories would be classified under the "Other" subcategory (0713.39).

As a leaf node, 0713.35.00.00 does not have further subcategories. Therefore, classification at this level relies on accurately identifying the bean as a cowpea (*Vigna unguiculata*) and confirming it meets the criteria of being dried, shelled, and not belonging to any of the more specifically enumerated bean types within the 0713.30 series. Common trade names such as black-eyed peas, southern peas, or crowder peas are indicative of this classification, provided the botanical identification is confirmed.