• botanic description
• peanut in history
• grow your own peanuts
  

The Peanut Plant
The peanut plant (Arachis hypogea) belongs to the family of the Leguminosae (a.k.a. Pappilionidae), like beans, peas and clover. The plant comes from South America. Around 1500 the Spanish took the peanut home, while the Portugese brought the plant to the Moluck islands and the Phillipines. From there the plant was spread over whole Asia. Now the pmost important peanut growing countries are Amerika, China, india, Indonesia, Senegal and Nigeria.

In the right circumstances the plant can grow to about 50 cm. Peanut plants crawl over the soil or stand upright. The plant has yellow flowers of 1-2 cm, growing in the leave-axils. The flowers only bloom for half a day. The flowering starts at sunrise and the flowers are withered in the afternoon. Meanwhile the plant has fertilized itself.

After 4 days a stem grows out of the flower. The end of this stem has a hard point, that drills itself into the soil. This is unique in nature !
A theory to explain ths is that this way the seeds are protected against animals. Once underground, after six days the fruits start to grow at the end of the stem. In these peas (hence pea-nut) are the seeds with the reddish brown cuticles. A fruit with the seeds is the peanut in its shell/hud/pod.
Like potatoes the peanut grows underground. The peanut plant is herbal and annual - they only grow peanuts 1 time - about 40.
The types of peanuts that are grown most often are the Virginia (to be eaten with or without salt), teh Spanish Valencia (suitable for peanutbutter or to eat as is) and the Runner-type (mainly used for peanutbutter).
(source: 'Een potje pindakaas', De Kleine Aarde 1991)

The peanut travels around the world

(source: Ernst 'peanut' Neering)
The peanut originates from South America. Garcilaso de la Vega described in his History of the Incas (1609) that peanuts were already tilled by Incas in a coastal area of Peru, before the Spanish came. That was in the 15th century and possibly earlier, because the peanut has a long history.
Remains of peanuts were found in the upper Zana Valley in north Peru, dated at 6000 B.C.. Hammons (1982) indicates that the plant was cultivated in Peru at the start of the pottery period (1500 to 1200 B.C.) In Casma Valley peanuts were found from the period between 1800 and 1500 B.C. The Incas in the coastal area called the peanut YNCHIC, but de la Vega reported that the Spanish introduced the name MANI, that was used on the Antilles. This can still be found in the Spanish word for peanut.

What do the genetic scientists say? (1) It has been suggested that the ancient findings of peanuts in Peru indicate that the plant was brought there in one way or another, as the wild types all grow east of teh Andes, and has doubled its genome in Peru (allotetraploids formed out of the genome of two wild diploid ancestors) which enlarged the seeds and made them attractive for cultivation. (Genetic Significance and Implications of Peanut Artifacts Recovered from a Royal Tomb, Sipan, Peru. Donald J. Banks in Proceedings APRES 1994: 95-99)

The earliest mentioning by an European came from Bartolome Las Casas, who arrived in Hispaniola (Haiti) in 1502, and worked there as a missionary from 1510 to 1547. He began writing his 'Apologetic History' in 1527 but the book was first published in 1875.... He mentions the name MANI. The earliest published description is possibly of Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes, who arrived in Hispaniola in 1513. In 1525 he send his 'Sumario Historia' top Charles the 5th; it was printed in Toldeo in 1527. In 1535 he started the publication of 'Historia general de las Indias' in which he describes the common appearance of the peanut (named MANI) on Haiti and other Isles.

To Europe
Useful plants weere already collected since the first trip by Columbus to be taken to Europe. The first mention of the introduction to Europe is by Nicolas
Monardes in Sevilla (1574). They were send to him from Peru.

The peanut reached the Phillipines with the Acapulco-Manila galleon line. This line was probably owned by the Spanish. The Spanish and the Portugeze also brought the peanut to Africa.

From Africa to North America

Genetic scientists on peanuts (2) The gene centre of the peanut is in Bolivia and the countries around Bolivia. The secundary gene centre is Africa. Africa developed as a secondary gene centre at an early stage because peanbuts were introduced frm various places in South America and quite a lot of the ioriginal material in South America was lost, but survived in Africa. All species in the genus Arachis come from South America. They can be found from north eastern Brasil till the north-west of Argentine, from the south coast of Uruguay to Mato Grosso, so from the Andes until the Atlantic Ocean, south of the Amazon area. When the groundnut is mentioned in Africa, they possibly talk about the Bambarra groundnut [Vigna (was Voandzeia) subterranea]. This one makes a one-seeded husk and is not related to Arachis groundnuts.

From Africa the peanuts was brought to North America and parts of the Carribeans, possibly the Guyanas, thanks to the slaves.

From Asia back home
The most commonly tilled variety in Surinam is 'Matjan', that was taken in the quantity of TWO SHELLS, from Indonesia in the fifties.

Production on 8 million hectars in India
The most important peanut tilling countries are China, India, Nigeria, US, Sudan, Argentine and Indonesia. The largest area is in India. China comes second but they produce 2,5 times as much per hectare so they produce more tonnes.

If you look at the soil and climate of India you would disapprove with the tillage of peanuts. One of the many mysteries of India. The soil is often to loamy to easily pull the peanuts out of the soil. The stones in the soil prevent mechanisation. In most production areas there is not enough rain, the soil is too dry to produce more than 500 kg per hectare. Conmsidering the costs of sowing seeds (at least 100 kg per hectare, about 80 Euro) it is a risky crop. Often the farmers have to borrow money to buy sowing seeds, Rent is often 20 to 3 % per month, growing time of the crop about 95 days....

So why?
The most common use of peanuts is the oil, and most people really need it. The dependency on peanuts for oil gradually diminishes as sunflowers and soy are taking over. And even as a crop has low valkue and low profit, the farmers often has no other choice than to continue what was done for generations. This goes especially for the poor areas such as the Deccan plateau in central and south India. I would not be able to come with an alternative. The whole are should be brought back to its original state; savanne-forest.

Grow your own peanutplant!

Sow
Put a raw, not roasted¹⁾ peanut 5 cm deep in the soil in a pot of 15 cm wide. Put it in the sun or near the heating. The first days cover it with plastic to keep it moist and warm..

Growing
The plant can grow up till 60 cm ! Keep the soil moist, but not wet.

Fertilize
After about 3 months the plant will flower. You have only half a day (!) to fertilize the flowers. Do this with a brush, put the pollen on the stamps.
Four days later a stem will grow out of the flower and it will dig itself into the ground. Remember the date, cause....

Drying
Six weeks after flowering start to give less water, lest the peanuts may rot. Add some chalk to the soil if you don't want empty hulls.
One month later you can harvest the peanuts !
Send me an e-mail then !

1) Where to obtain raw peanuts ? Ask for it at a nut-specialised store, a health store, a petfood shop (check birdseeds), or visit a zoo. Maybe a gardencenter ? If all else fails write to your favourit peanutbutter producer. Or Jimmy Carter (tell him to stop writing anti-anti-genetech letters until he knows what he is talking about).

Mind you, all peanuts sold for eating are roasted, a hull is no guarantee !
The peanut should stil have it's reddish brown skin, so the keem is protected.