Final answer:
Mendel chose pea plants because they grow quickly, have observable traits, produce consistent offspring, and can be easily manipulated for controlled breeding, allowing for rapid generation study.
Step-by-step explanation:
The pea plant Pisum sativum was an ideal plant for Mendel to use for his genetics research for several reasons. First, pea plants are fast growing and easy to raise, which enabled Mendel to complete many experiments over a short period. These plants have easily observable traits such as plant height and seed shape, which are clear and straightforward to record. The characteristics Mendel studied often showed distinct dominant and recessive forms, simplifying the analysis of inheritance patterns.
Moreover, pea plants naturally self-fertilize, producing true-breeding lines that yield consistent offspring, a key factor in establishing clear inheritance patterns. However, they can also be manually cross-pollinated, offering Mendel control over breeding experiments. Finally, the garden pea's ability to grow to maturity within one season meant that Mendel could study several generations within a relatively short time.