Is it true a peanut is not a nut?

Question

I was playing triva pursuit with my cousin the other day and it said the peanut was not a nut.

Answer 1

it's not. it's part of the legume family.

"The plant's name combines the morphemes pea and nut, causing some confusion as to the nature of the fruit. Although a nut in the culinary sense, in the botanical sense the fruit of the peanut plant is a woody, indehiscent legume and not a nut. The word pea describes the edible seeds of many other legumes in the Fabaceae family, and in that sense, a peanut is a kind of pea."

There is a strong nut allergy in my family, but we can eat peanuts. I've always thought this was a little odd.

How on earth could it be part of the meat family?? LOL

Answer 2

It's not, it's in the meat family, i believe.

v(@willow)Edit: Well, I meant that it is a good meat replacement, good for Vitamin D, high protein meat. :/

And, I don't depend on wikipedia.

Answer 3

Q.1 )Is it true a peanut is not a nut?

Ans. 1 ) Yes , it is true that peanut is not a nut in botanical sense . It is a legume .

Since the edible seeds are large and hard it is referred to as 'nut'.

The edible part is , as mentioned above , a seed ( It is a good source of oil and protein .  As it supplies good amount of proteins it is equivalent of " meat " ; otherwise there is no connection between animal meat and peanuts !!!

Q. 2 ) What is meat family ?

Ans. 2 ) There is NOTHING  like "Meat Family" in botany .

Q. 3 ) What is nutrient system in plants ?

Ans. 3 )There is nothing like "nutrient system" in plants

Peanuts develop underground BUT ARE IN NO WAY CONNECTED WITH THE ROOT SYSTEM .



The legume fruit develops from a flower .

After pollination and fertilization the flower stalk elongates and literally pushes the fertilized ovary under ground .This stalk is called " Peg "

So the fruit development takes place under ground.

This is the reason why pea nut crop requires porous soil.

Click on the links for images ( Arachis hypogea is the botanical name for peanut which is also known as ground nut )

http://www.americasbestnutco.com/images/...

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/pgifs/P...

http://www.donaldhyatt.com/images/peanut...

http://www.biologie.uni-freiburg.de/data...

From = A Botanist

Answer 4

Yes.  peanuts develop underground as part of the root system of the peanut plant, while real nuts normally grow inside of a fruit.  Real nuts are therefore part of the reproductive system of a plant, while peanuts are part of the nutrient system of the plant.