About
Arachis hypogaea, commonly known as the peanut, is an annual legume recognized for its edible seeds. The plant features compound leaves made up of four leaflets and produces small, yellow flowers that have orange veins, measuring up to 1.5 cm in diameter, which appear from mid to late summer. After pollination occurs, the flower stem extends and bends downward, allowing the ovary to burrow into the soil, where the peanut develops.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained, Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H2
Plant details
- Plant type
- Annual Biennial
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 1 year
- Suggested uses
- Mediterranean climate plants, Sub-tropical, Patio and container plants
- Toxicity
- Humans/Pets: Seeds not edible. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Under glass grow in light, free-draining compost in full sun Requires a long growing season to produce viable crops of peanuts so generally not suited to growing outside for this purpose in most of the UK
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free