Botanical Name of Groundnut

Botanical Name: Arachis hypogaea

Arachis hypogaea, also known as the peanut, groundnut and the goober, falls under the genus Arachis, which consists of 70 other species of flowering plants.

The peanut is a legume crop, which means it belongs to the family Fabaceae and is primarily grown for human consumption or for livestock forage. The plant is widely cultivated in the tropics and subtropics, with an annual production of 44 million tons (2016).

Unlike other legume crops, the peanut pods grow underground rather than above ground. This characteristic trait led Carol Linnaeus to the species as hypogaea, which in Latin, means “under the earth.”

Furthermore, since groundnuts are legumes, it harbours nitrogen-fixing bacteria in its roots nodules.

There are many varieties of peanuts, though four are the basic market types – Runner, Spanish, Virginia and Valencia.

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Frequently Asked Questions on Botanical Name of Groundnut

Q1

What is the botanical name of groundnut?

Arachis hypogaea is the botanical name for groundnut.

Q2

Groundnut belongs to which family of plants?

Groundnut belongs to the family Fabaceae.
Q3

What are the four basic market types of peanuts?

Runner, Spanish, Virginia and Valencia are the four basic market types of peanuts.
Q4

What do hypogea mean?

Hypogea means under the earth.
Q5

What are root nodules?

The leguminous plants have nodules in their roots in which the bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen lives.

Discover more botanical names of other plants by exploring BYJU’S Biology.

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