312 WALDRON— THE PEANUT 



ing pedicel one to three inches into the soil; after penetration it 

 begins to swell and ripen into a fruit. 



Fj'uit — an indehiscent legume, oblong, reticulated, thick, coria- 

 ceous, beaked, swollen around the contained seeds, provided with 

 absorptive hairs when nearing maturity. Fruit stem or gynophore 

 reddish and slightly hairy above the soil — white and matted with 

 absorbing hairs below. 



Seeds — i-i ^ cm. long; cotyledons thick, fleshy, oily; radicle 

 short, straight. Testa thin, papery, membranous, varying from 

 cream to pink to dark red color. 



Sub-species — -fastigiata Waldron 



Main stem erect and branches all in an upward diagonal position, 

 giving the plant a bushy appearance. Fertile flowers axially group- 

 ed near base of plant. Fruit clustered below the main stem. Seeds 

 usually small and oblong. 



Variety — White Spanish 



Plant 20-30 cm. tall in average soils — foliage abundant and heavy. 

 Pods small, adhering well to the plant, entirely filled by two seeds 

 with pink to brownish testa. Very productive with high oil content. 



Variety — Red Spanish 



Similar to the White Spanish, except that the seed coats are red 

 and the pods somewhat larger — less productive than the White 

 Spanish. 



Variety — Valencia 



Plant 25-50 cm. tall. Pods long, medium thickness, clinging 

 poorly to the plant, and containing two to four closely crowded 

 seeds with red testas. 



Variety — Tennessee Red 



Plants similar to those of the Spanish varieties. Pods long, cling- 

 ing to the plants and containing two to six seeds with dull red seed 

 coats. 



Sub-species — prociimbens Waldron 



Loosely branching, spreading plants (semi-erect in one variety); 

 the stems often later ascending. Flowers and fruit considerably 

 scattered along the prostrate stems. Seeds large, more or less 

 pointed. 



