How the peanut grows

The peanut is unusual because it flowers above the ground, but fruits below the ground. Typical misconceptions of how peanuts grow place them on trees, like cashews or walnuts, or growing as part of a root like potatoes.

Peanut seeds (kernels) grow into a green oval-leafed plant about 18 inches tall, which develop delicate yellow flowers around the lower portion of the plant. The flowers pollinate themselves, and then lose their petals as the fertilized ovary begins to enlarge. The budding ovary grows down and away from the plant forming a small stem or "Peg"" that extends to the soil. The peanut embryo is in the tip of the peg, which penetrates the soil.

The embryo turns horizontal to the soil surface and begins to mature, taking the form of the peanut. From planting to harvesting the growing cycle takes about four to five months, depending on the variety. The peanut is a nitrogen-fixing plant; its roots form nodules, which absorb nitrogen from the air and provide enrichment and nutrition to the plant and soil.