Groundnut

Groundnut

The groundnut, or peanut, is not a nut, but a legume. It belongs to the ‘bean’ family.

Groundnuts originate from South America and were already cultivated in Peru thousands of years ago.

The flowers self-pollinate and then the stalk at the base of the ovary elongates and grows downward to bury the fruits in the ground. This explains their name.

Names

Scientific
   Arachis hypogaea
English
   Earthnut
   Goober pea
   Groundnut
   Monkey nut
   Peanut
   Pig nut
   Pygmy nut
Dutch
   Aardnoot
   Apennoot
   Grondnoot
   Olienoot
   Pinda
Spanish
   Cacahuate
   Cacahuete
   Maní
French
   Arachide
   Cacahuète
   Pois de terre
German
   Erdnuss
Italian
   Arachide

Taxonomy

Genus
   Arachis
Family
   Fabaceae
Order
   Fabales

Basic information and facts

Origin:

South America

Distribution:

Peanuts are grown around the world in countries with suitable warm climates. Highest production is in China, India, USA, Nigeria, Myanmar, Sudan, Senegal, argentina and Vietnam.

Annual, biennial, or perennial:

Groundnut is an annual plant.

Flowers:

The yellow flowers self-pollinate. Then the stalk at the base of the ovary elongates and grows downward to bury the fruits in the ground.

Leaves:

The leaves consist of four leaflets which are arranged as two opposite pairs. there is no terminal leaflet. Leaflets are 1 to 7 cm long and 1 to 3 cm wide.

Fruits:

Groundnuts are legume pods that develop at the end of long stalks under the ground. The pods are 3 to 7 cm long, and contain 1 to 4 seeds. The seeds contains a lot of protein (25 to 32%) and oil (42 to 52%).

Climate and weather:

Groundnuts grow in tropical and subtropical climates.

Pollination:

Self-pollination.

Height:

Usually 30 to 50 cm tall.

Spacing:

?

Propagation:

Groundnuts are grown from seed. Pods or seeds are planted.

Insect pests:

?

Diseases:

?

Harvesting:

To harvest groundnuts, the entire plant, including most of the roots, is pulled from the soil.

Uses:

Groundnuts are used for human consumption, as whole seeds, peanut butter, oil or in other food products. It can also been grown as a forage crop.

Proverbs and Quotes

• If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. (Chinese proverb)
• Man cannot live by bread alone; he must have peanut butter. (James A. Garfield)
• No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut. (Channing Pollock)

Crop categories

Vegetables
Podded vegetables
Nuts
Food crops
Tropical crops
Legumes

Pictures

Groundnut


Groundnut


Groundnut - Photo by desegura89


Groundnut - Photo by Chocolat Geek