166 THE HUMAN SIDE OF PLANTS 
it is a native of America, and is extensively culti- 
vated in the southern and southeastern United 
States and in many parts of the Old World, to 
which it has been introduced. Its bean-like fruits 
not only are edible but are deliciously flavoured and 
very nutritious. Being rich in fat, they produce 
large quantities of oil. This oil is used for adul- 
terating olive oil, for making soap, for lubricating, 
and for various other purposes. 
The leaves of the peanut are arranged similarly 
to those of clover, except that there are four in a 
group instead of three. The blossoms are a dainty 
yellow, in shape not unlike the sweet-pea. When 
they have withered and fallen off, the stalk which 
held the flower bends its head down to the ground 
and pokes its nose into the earth to a depth of three 
or four inches. There, well protected from outside 
marauders, the seed pods develop. In this way the 
plant escapes many enemies common to other 
plants, yet unfortunately it has its own enemies 
among such animals as hogs and ground-moles. 
The peanut has a near relative, the wild bean, or 
hog-peanut, whose blossoms are purple, and grow 
in clusters. The leaves are similar to the poison 
ivy; and the interesting thing about this plant is 
that it not only develops underground “peanuts,” 
but has also a crop of small beans dangling from 
