Mendel conducted his historical experiments with Pisum sativum (garden pea) in the monastery garden between 1856-1864 and presented his work in the "Annual Proceedings of the Natural History Society of Brunn" in 1865. His paper was published next year in 1866. The characters studied by Mendel are:
| Sr. No. | Character | Dominant trait | Recessive trait |
| 1. | Seed shape | Round | Wrinkled |
| 2. | Seed colour | Yellow | Green |
| 3. | Flower colour | Violet/Red | White |
| 4. | Pod shape | Full/Inflated | Constricted |
| 5. | Pod colour | Green | Yellow |
| 6. | Flower position | Axial | Terminal |
| 7. | Stem height | Tall | Dwarf |