What Do Peanut Plants Look Like? Curious Facts Answered For Kids

The peanut is a legume crop known for its seeds which can be eaten.

Several names like groundnuts or monkey nuts are known, but its scientific name is Arachis hypogaea. Peanut plants are primarily grown in places in tropical or subtropical climate zones.

The actual edible peanut seeds grow under the soil, which the gardener or farmer takes out for consumption after they have matured. In usual circumstances, one would not be able to recognize a peanut plant just by looking at the part that is at the top of the soil.

It is a green oval leafed plant with the leaves clustered together in a bunch. The blossoms and leaflets are on top of the soil, and the peg curves downward to penetrate the soil.

The peanut pod is formed below the ground, with each pod containing two seeds. Keep scrolling to learn more about peanut plants and what they look like.

If you enjoyed these peanut facts, also check out other interesting articles with amazing facts about plants in the arctic and interesting plants.

Types Of Peanut Plants

There are primarily four types of peanut plants that can be grown in the United States of America - runner peanut plant, Spanish peanuts, Valencia peanuts, and Virginia peanut plant.

Runner peanuts are grown in the southern states of the United States of America, such as Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. If you are a huge fan of eating peanut butter and jam sandwiches, then you will be pleasantly surprised to note that runner peanuts are used to produce peanut butter.

These are also known as Peruvian peanuts in certain places.

Virginia peanuts are named so because they are grown in Virginia. In addition to that, they are also grown in North and South Carolina.

If you love to munch on peanuts and consider it a favorite snack, you should know that the Virginia peanuts are used for snacking. They are also used to make high-quality, organic, and natural peanut butter, which also costs more.

Spanish peanut can be found in Texas and Oklahoma. These peanuts can be easily distinguished because they have dark red skin. Spanish peanut is also used for snacking purposes and for making candies. These peanuts are often used in making candies or are even sold in the form of salted peanuts.

Valencia peanuts are grown in the state of New Mexico. They taste the most delicious out of all the types of peanuts.

Therefore, if you want to try making homemade peanut butter, you should definitely invest in some Valencia peanut seeds. Consequently, if you manage to grow the Valencia peanut plant, you will have the best raw materials to make your tasty peanut butter from.

You can also consume these peanuts as snacks after boiling them or frying them as your preference.

You can grow peanuts of the variety mentioned above in warm places with a tropical climate. However, if you want to grow peanuts in low-temperature areas, you will have to grow a peanut plant named Early Spanish Peanut.

Characteristics Of Peanut Plants

Peanuts do not grow on trees; instead, they come from the underground pods of the peanut plant, unlike the pineapple plant, which grows just above the soil surface. Many of you may become surprised to find out that peanuts are not nuts despite their name!

They are the edible seeds of a leguminous plant. The pods containing the seeds grow under the soil, but the flowers and leaves grow above the ground.

Peanuts can be grown in the UK, and they are known as monkey nuts there. Even though Canada has a generally lower temperature than is required for supporting the growing cycle of a peanut, some people do grow peanuts in southern parts of Canada, such as in the province of Ontario.

Peanuts are also grown in Australia, especially in the areas of Queensland, the Northern Territory as well as the northern part of New South Wales.

In the United States of America, peanuts are found in many of the southern states, such as Virginia and Florida. Farmers in Louisiana also grow peanuts commercially for sale.

Even though the climate of Ohio may not suit the planting of peanuts, some plants still grow nonetheless if they are taken care of. Similarly, peanuts can be grown in Pennsylvania as well.

However, most experts say that the plant will have a better chance of developing if they are kept indoors and at a warm temperature at all times. If you live in the state of Massachusetts, you need not worry as well!

You can also grow peanuts plants if you like, even if the overall temperature of your area does not permit you to do so. You can plant the seed indoors and take care of it.

You may opt to check out some videos on the internet that carefully explain how you can easily grow peanut plant flowers above the ground and healthy pods below the soil surface.

The peanut harvest season starts in September and can continue till November, depending upon the temperature of the place. Peanuts take around four to five months to mature and have a more extended season than most plants. Each plant provides 25-50 peanuts.

Peanut season can come back every year if the temperature permits. In colder areas, peanuts grow annually. However, these plants can also grow during the spring after the last frost is gone and the soil temperature rises in warmer regions.

Peanut plants are harvested and processed using two separate processes - digging and combining. The green rows are methodically dug and put into peanut wagons when the peanuts bloom. After that, the farmer waits for some time and starts the process of combining.

Classification Of Peanut Plants

Peanut plants belong to the order of Fabales and the family of Leguminosae. It belongs to the sub-family of Papilionaceae and the genus Arachis. The plants that belong to the genus Arachis have pods that grow and ripen underground as peanuts grow as pods under the soil.

The specific species name of peanuts is 'hypogaea' which translates to 'crypt' or 'under the earth.' This indicates that the seeds of peanuts grow under the soil surface and begin to ripen there to become edible for consumption.

As peanuts belong to the family Leguminosae, it means that their roots consist of symbiotic rhizobial bacteria. This bacteria converts necessary atmospheric nitrogen into an appropriate form so that the plant can absorb nitrogen. In return, the rhizobial bacteria takes its nutrition from the plant and forms a symbiotic relationship with the plant.

The peanut plants belong to the sub-family Papilionaceae, which means that these plants have stamens as the reproductive organ. The stamens produce pollen that enables further reproduction. These plants are also characterized by irregular flowers above the ground, along with petals and leaves.

Examples Of Peanut Plants

Although peanuts require moist soil and rich soil to grow into a good crop, they have many nutritional qualities. Regardless of the peanut varieties you consume, boiled peanuts, raw peanuts, or even roasted peanuts are great for your health since they contain a lot of protein. They also provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals to the body.

A lot of vegans also use peanut oil for cooking their food. There can be a number of examples of peanut plant flowers that are grown every year in the United States of America.

Examples of runner peanuts would include Florunner, Sunrunner, Southern Runner, and Georgia Runner.

You would also be shocked to know that there are as many as 458 types of Virginia peanut plants! The most famous examples include Bailey Champs, Titan, Florida Fancy, Sullivan, and Wynne.

Types of Spanish peanuts would include Olin, Spanco, and Pronto. The most common type of Valencia peanut plant flowers grown in the Tennessee Red peanut is known for its bright red skin. Farmers and cultivators keep an eye out for these peanuts to grow healthy reddish-brown skin.

How To Grow Peanut Plants

It is pretty easy to plant peanuts in Phillippines, Texas, or Florida as they have warm air and the perfect soil temperatures where the peanut plant grows quickly. People can also try to grow this plant at home indoors, like most plants, using some very simple steps.

Most people who plant peanuts in their homes enjoy them freshly roasted or as peanut kernels. They may even make their own peanut butter using peanuts.

At first, it is necessary to choose a place that receives sunlight directly. To start the growing cycle, you need to put raw peanuts on top of the soil.

After that, you need to cover it with an inch of soil. The shelled peanuts start to sprout quite fast. When planting the soil outside, the plant needs to be buried two inches deep into the soil.

Some days after planting, the yellow flowers begin to fertilize, and plant forming starts. The blossoms or the yellow flowers of the plant are self-pollinating.

Once the flowers fertilize, the petals fall to the ground. During this growing cycle of a peanut, the stalks or pegs bend down and grow into the soil. Under the soil, the budding ovary forms a peanut pod at the end of a stalk.

After the peanut ovary begins to grow and the budding ovary expands into the pod, you have to take care of the plant to ensure that it grows into a healthy plant and provides peanuts. Peanuts are usually harvested before the last frost.

If you like making your own organic edible materials at home, you should definitely try converting the peanuts you grow at home into peanut butter. Peanut butter is a versatile food item that can be used for anything.

You can use it to make sandwiches, and you can use it for your smoothies or even put it on top of your ice cream. Many people also mix it with their oats or granola or even their fruit bowls to add some lovely taste to it.