Peanut: Origin and Botanical Descriptions

Abstract

Since the first description of the cultivated peanut, Arachis hypogaea L. by Linneaus in 1753, to the recent monograph on the taxonomy of genus Arachis (Krapovickas and Gregory in Bonplandia 8(1–4):1–186, 1994; Krapovickas and Gregory in Bonplandia 16(Supl.):1–205, 2007), our knowledge of the genetic structure of the genus including its origin, variability, and geographical distribution of various species has significantly improved. Large germplasm collections have been accumulated in several countries to preserve the genetic diversity and characterize the germplasm resources for efficient utilization in peanut improvement programs. Plant growth and development including the origin and botanical classification of the cultivated species have been revisited here to summarize our current knowledge of the taxon. In spite of these advances, taxonomic and phylogenetic ambiguities still exist. It is likely that the recent advances in peanut genome sequencing and the availability of new and additional molecular markers and other genomic tools might help clarify the genetic structure of genus Arachis and of the cultivated species, A. hypogaea.