Mendel had following advantages in his choice of garden pea (Pisum sativum) :

• It is an annual plant and can be grown twice a year. Because of short life span, Mendel was able to study several generations of the plant within a short period.
• It can be easily grown in garden.
• The plant has clearly contrasting characters, whereby characters may easily be divided into separate classes.
• There were several varieties of pea which showed distinct alternative traits.
• The flowers are self-pollinated, the reproductive structures being completely enclosed by petals. This helped Mendel to maintain varieties with same characters, generation after generation.
• The varieties could be artificially cross pollinated. The hybrids thus produced were fertile.