# pinto peanut (*Arachis pintoi*) Pinto peanuts are fun little plants that grow close to the ground. They have pretty yellow flowers and are great for helping the soil stay healthy! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![pinto peanut](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Arachis_pintoi_foliage_and_flower.jpg&width=800) Photo: Ethel Aardvark, CC BY 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arachis_pintoi_foliage_and_flower.jpg) ## Appearance The pinto peanut is a low-growing, perennial groundcover with bright yellow, pea-like flowers that appear above its three-parted, clover-like green leaves. Its stems creep along the ground, forming dense mats of foliage, making it visually distinct from upright plants. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Fabales - **Family:** Fabaceae - **Genus:** Arachis ## Interesting facts - Believe it or not, the pinto peanut is a close cousin to the yummy peanuts we eat! - Each bright yellow flower on this plant opens only for one day before it fades away! - Farmers often plant it to make healthy food for cows and other grazing animals! - The 'peanut' part of this plant grows secretly underground after the flower dies! ## Special abilities - **Soil Helper:** Pinto peanut can pull nitrogen from the air and put it into the soil, helping other plants grow stronger! - **Secret Snack Maker:** Pinto peanut has a unique trick: its flowers grow stalks that push the developing peanuts underground, keeping them safe! - **Weed Blocker:** This plant spreads out its leaves and stems to cover the ground, which helps it block out pesky weeds from growing. - **Thirsty Plant:** Pinto peanut can handle dry conditions because it has deep roots that find water, helping it survive. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 15-30 cm - **Spread:** 60-120 cm - **Flower Size:** 1-1.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Year-round - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Self ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects nectar and pollen - **Eaten by:** [cattle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cattle) (*Bos taurus*) — used as nutritious forage - **Symbiotic with:** rhizobium bacteria (*Rhizobium leguminosarum*) — fixes atmospheric nitrogen in roots ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Groundcover](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/groundcover): Groundcover plants are low-growing vegetation that spreads horizontally to cover the ground, often suppressing weeds and preventing soil erosion. - [Nitrogen Fixing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nitrogen-fixing): Describes organisms capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen into compounds usable by plants. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always wash your hands after touching plants, just to be safe! ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify pinto 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 pinto peanut? 15-30 cm ### How wide does pinto peanut spread? 60-120 cm ### How big are the flowers on pinto peanut? 1-1.5 cm ### When does pinto peanut bloom? Year-round ### Is pinto peanut edible? Yes ### Is pinto peanut toxic? None ### What is pinto peanut's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Doctor I. Sylvester Hankins Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/doctor-i-sylvester-hankins-park) — Florida, US · Park - [Orlando Loch Haven Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/orlando-loch-haven-park) — Florida, US · Park ## 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: [Pinto Peanut: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/pinto-peanut)