Austrian Winter Peas is a cool-season, annual legume with good nitrogen-fixing capabilities. It is low-growing and has been shown to fix over 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre under good conditions. Stems are hollow, slender, succulent, and 2 to 4 feet long. The foliage is pale green, and the flowers are purple, pink, or reddish. Each leaflet consists of one to three pairs of leaflets and terminally branched tendrils. Pods are 1.5 to 2.5 inches long and contain three to five round, dark-colored seeds. The seeds are commonly gray with purple or brown mottles.