groundnut, common name for several different genera of twining herbaceous, leguminous plants with geocarpie (underground fruits), chiefly the peanut. Groundnuts are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Rosales, family Leguminosae.

Any of several plants that bear edible fruit or other nutlike parts. Three are legumes: Arachis hypogaea, the peanut, the fruit of which is a legume or pod rather than a true nut; Apois americana, also called wild bean and potato bean, the tubers of which are edible; and Lathyrus tuberosa, also called earth-nut pea. Cyperus esculentus, nut sedge or yellow nut grass, is a papyrus relative (sedge family) that also bears edible tubers, especially in the variety called chufa or earth almond.

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Groundnut can mean:

• Seeds that ripen underground, of the following plants, all in the Faboideae subfamily of the legumes:
• Arachis villosulicarpa
• Bambara groundnut
• Hausa groundnut
• Peanut
• Roots and tubers:
• Apios americana
• Conopodium majus
• Dwarf ginseng

See also

• Earthnut
• Tanganyika groundnut scheme