The resulting plants are the various bean plants, the legumes.  These plants
have in common a variably fleshy seed pod and the ability to fix (make
accessible)atmospheric nitrogen through nodules in their roots.  The legumes
are not the only plants that have the capability to fix nitrogen, clover
comes to mind, for one.  It is this ability to re-invigorate the soil that
made the peanut so important economically.  Cotton is extremely hard on the
soil and will spoil land for agriculture relatively quickly, which was the
case when the peanut was introduced.  Used in rotation with cotton, the
peanut was able to allow the southern US to remain in cotton production.
There are other things that the legumes have in common, I'm sure, but botany
was quite awhile ago.  Cashews, I believe are only distant relatives to
peanuts, and are more closely related to Poison Ivy via Family name,
Anacardiacia.

Aaron Felker


>From: Oliva <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Paleolithic Eating Support List <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [P-F] seeds/plants
>Date: Sat, 17 Jul 1999 07:16:26 -0500
>
>Thank you for such an interesting response.  What is the resulting
>plant(s)?
>Oliva
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Aaron Felker
>
>
> >Most "beans" are seeds of various plants, they are made up of all of the
> >necessary parts of a young plant.  When you split a peanut in half, you
>see
> >two equal halves and a small bit on one end, the two halves are the
> >cotyledons (embryonic leaf), the bit on the end is the embryo.  When the
> >seed germinates, the embryo sends off a root/stem and the cotyledons open
> >and start making food for the plant.
> >
> >Aaron Felker
> >


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