# Peanut (*Arachis hypogaea*) Peanuts are tasty nuts that grow underground. They are a good source of protein and can be eaten roasted or made into peanut butter. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Also known as:** Earthnut, Goober, Groundnut ![Peanut](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Groundnuts_in_container.jpg&width=800) Photo: Ibn Dagara, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Groundnuts_in_container.jpg) ## Appearance The Peanut is a low-growing plant with vibrant green, oval leaves arranged in pairs. It produces small, delicate yellow flowers above ground. Uniquely, its edible pods mature and grow hidden beneath the soil, making it visually distinct from many other plants. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Fabales - **Family:** Fabaceae - **Genus:** Arachis ## Interesting facts - Making one 12-ounce jar of peanut butter uses around 540 peanuts! That's a lot! - Peanut butter was first created for people who couldn't chew solid food easily! - Peanuts are a favorite snack for astronauts, often enjoyed in space as a tasty treat. - The famous scientist George Washington Carver discovered over 300 uses for peanuts! ## Special abilities - **Underground Fruit Power:** Peanut has a unique trick: its flowers bury themselves after pollination, making its delicious pods grow safely underground to mature. - **Nitrogen Fixer:** Peanut can pull nitrogen from the air and put it into the soil, helping itself and other plants grow strong and healthy. - **Self-Pollinator:** Peanut mostly pollinates itself, ensuring it can produce seeds even without help from insects, making it a reliable plant. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 30-50 cm - **Spread:** 30-60 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Annual - **Pollination Method:** Self ## Ecological connections - **Symbiotic with:** Rhizobium bacteria (*Bradyrhizobium japonicum*) — Helps peanut fix nitrogen in the soil. - **Eaten by:** Fall armyworm (*Spodoptera frugiperda*) — Larvae feed on peanut leaves, causing damage to the plant. - **Eaten by:** Humans (*Homo sapiens*) — Peanuts are a major food crop, widely consumed by people. ## Traits - [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons. - [Nitrogen Fixing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nitrogen-fixing): Describes organisms capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen into compounds usable by plants. - [Broadleaf Tree](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/broadleaf-tree): Broadleaf trees are angiosperms characterized by flat, wide leaves that are typically shed annually in temperate climates. - [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds. - [Nut Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nut-bearing): Nut bearing plants produce hard-shelled fruits, commonly known as nuts, which contain a single seed and are a valuable food source. - [Oil Crop](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/oil-crop): This human use trait identifies species cultivated as oil crops, harvested for their seeds or fruits from which vegetable oils are extracted for food, fuel, or industrial uses. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Ancient Lineage](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ancient-lineage): This trait signifies organisms belonging to a very old evolutionary group with ancestors dating back millions of years. - [Temperate Rainforest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/temperate-rainforest): This habitat trait identifies species found in temperate rainforests, characterized by significant rainfall, mild temperatures, and dense evergreen or deciduous forests in coastal regions. ## Collections - [Nuts](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/nuts) - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low If you have a peanut allergy, avoid eating peanuts or foods that contain peanuts to stay safe. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Peanut? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Peanut? 30-50 cm ### How wide does Peanut spread? 30-60 cm ### How big are the flowers on Peanut? 0.5-1 cm ### When does Peanut bloom? Summer ### Is Peanut edible? Yes ### Is Peanut toxic? None ### What is Peanut's lifecycle? Annual ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Peanut: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/peanut)