IS A PEANUT A NUT?

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Once called 'goober peas' in the United States, peanuts are a very popular snack food. They are most often eaten roasted on their own, as opposed to many other nuts that are used more in cooking. They are easily shelled by hand, which adds to their appeal.

However, peanuts do not look like most regular nuts - and there is a good reason for that. This is because peanuts are fairly unique in the nut world, as they grow underground and - unlike most other nut varieties - are not produced by large trees.

Peanuts are a native to South America and are believed to have first been cultivated as a farmed crop in the valleys of Peru. To be fair though, peanuts are not what we would consider to be a true nut, but are in fact legumes. This then really does make it a member of the pea family!

What is a peanut?

The peanut is a small annual herbaceous plant that grows to 30-40 cm tall. It produces a typical peaflower flower which is usually yellow with reddish veining.

Weirdly, once pollinated the flower stalk will begin to bend until the fertilized ovary touches the ground. However, the stalk continues to grow and pushes the ovary underground! The ovary continues to develop into a legume pod which matures into what we commonly call a peanut. Each pod can be between 1-3 inches long and containing as many as 4 ‘seeds’.

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Images care of http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/docs.htm?docid=16816&page=3 and http://www.hort.purd