Taxonomy: Plantae > Angiosperms > Eudicots > Rosids > Fabales > Fabaceae > Arachis > A. pintoi

Description: A herbaceous perennial tropical plant forming creeping legume, can reach 20-50 cm in height and form dense swards. Strongly tap-rooted with many secondary nodulated roots. Stems are initially prostrate and then become 21 ascendant. Leaves are tetrafoliolate, mucronate, hairy, leaflets are oblong-obovate to obovate in shape, dark green at their upper side and velvethairy at their lower one. Flowers are yellow, borne on short in leaf-axils racemes and very similar to groundnut flowers but smaller, flower stalks elongate and grow down towards the soil. Stamens 9-10, monoadelphous, 5 alternate anthers shorter and dorsifixed, others longer basifixed. Ovary 2-3 ovulated, raised after flowering by elongating torus, finally becomes stalk like and curves down towards ground burying the fruit. The fruit is a terminal underground, one-two seeded pod.

Flowering and Fruiting: August-October

Uses: Pinto peanut is mostly used as a permanent pasture in intensive grazing systems and in very shaded situations under plantation crops. It can be used as a ground cover or as an ornamental. It is tolerant to heavy grazing and is compatible with aggressive grasses such as Brachiaria. It is potentially capable of producing high yields of forage in the tropics and improving soils and degraded pastures

Cultivation: Ornamental Flowers

References

http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org

https://indiabiodiversity.org