Arachis Anedafos (ReGen)



The Climbing Peanut (Arachis Anedafos), also known as the Vine Legume and the Lognut, is a species of Arachis that was believed to be a hoax, but has since been created by ReGen and introduced throughout open woodlands across Europe and America. It was originally created out of Arachis ipaensis DNA by scientist Dr. Melvin Harvey in 2006 as a biological alternative to Arachis hypogaea as he has a peanut allergy, but was instead introduced in wildlife preserves as a part of a research initiative by ReGen in 2007.

Atypically of peanuts, the climbing peanut pods develop above ground, but are instead suspended from elongated stems. With this characteristic in mind, the botanist Bartolo Fischer of SciFii gave this species of Arachis the specific epithet anedafos, from Greek words "ano" meaning above and "édafos" meaning ground.

The climbing peanut belongs to the single plant family, Leguminosae. Like most other legumes, climbing peanuts contain interdependent nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root lumps. The capacity to fix nitrogen means climbing peanuts require less nitrogen-containing fertilizer and they can improve soil fertility, making them valuable in ecosystems.

Like regular peanuts, climbing peanuts are similar in taste and nutritional profile to "tree nuts" such as walnuts and almonds, however ReGen only brought them into the wild so they have a rare appearance in cuisine.

Unlike peanuts, Arachis Anedafos' is a deciduous pseudo-vine which can grow to approximately 15 meters in length. It climbs on other plants or covers the ground with twisted, woody ropes of vine covered in green leaves. Flower buds can be found two feet above the soil formed along the stem. The flowers are 1 to 1.5 cm (3⁄8 to 5⁄8 in) across, and yellowish orange with reddish veining. They are borne in axillary clusters on the stems above ground, and last for just one day. The ovary is located at the base of what appears to be the flower stem, but is actually a highly elongated floral cup. After fertilization, a short stalk at the base of the ovary (often termed a gynophore, but which actually appears to be part of the ovary itself) grows down 1.5 meters, allowing the fruit to develop suspended. These pods (technically called legumes) are 3 to 7 centimetres (1 to 3 in) long, normally containing one to four seeds. The shell of the climbing peanut fruit consists primarily mesocarp with several large veins traversing its length.