the peanut, also known as the groundnut, goober (us), pindar (us) or monkey nut (uk), and taxonomically classified as arachis hypogaea, is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. it is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, being important to both small and large commercial producers. it is classified as both a grain legume and, due to its high oil content, an oil crop. world annual production of shelled peanuts was 44 million tonnes in 2016, led by china with 38% of the world total. atypically among legume crop plants, peanut pods develop underground (geocarpy) rather than above ground. with this characteristic in mind, the botanist carl linnaeus named the species hypogaea, which means "under the earth".

the peanut, also known as the groundnut, goober (us), pindar (us) or monkey nut (uk), and taxonomically classified as arachis hypogaea, is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. it is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, being important to both small and large commercial producers. it is classified as both a grain legume and, due to its high oil content, an oil crop. world annual production of shelled peanuts was 44 million tonnes in 2016, led by china with 38% of the world total. atypically among legume crop plants, peanut pods develop underground (geocarpy) rather than above ground. with this characteristic in mind, the botanist carl linnaeus named the species hypogaea, which means "under the earth".