The Weird Ways That Nuts Grow

OMG, what is that cashew thing!?

I know, right? Now tell your friends!
The Weird Ways That Nuts Grow
Jessica Misener

1. Peanuts

Peanuts are legumes, not nuts, and so they don’t grow on trees. The peanut plant flowers above the ground, but the peanuts actually grow underground.

4. Almonds

The fuzzy green almond fruit appears in early summer, and by July it begins to split open. By October, the split widens and allows the almond nut to dry out.

7. Cashews

Cashews are a tropical plant that produces an apple-like fruit and a nut that grows out of each fruit. The apple, which starts out yellow and becomes red when ripe, is edible and high in vitamin C, but it’s reportedly not that tasty. Each fruit produces only one nut. If you’ve noticed that you can’t buy unshelled cashews, there’s a reason: the shells are toxic — they contain the same chemical as poison ivy and can cause rashes.

10. Chestnuts

Chestnuts grow on trees in prickly green husks that eventually dry out and split open. It takes a seedling about five years to start producing fruit.

12. Brazil Nuts

Brazil nuts grow in South American forests in large fruits that can weigh up to four pounds. Inside each fruit are about 10-20 nuts packed like an orange.

15. Pine Nuts

Pine nuts are edible seeds that grow in pine cones. Each cone contains about 50 seeds, but they’re hard to harvest, which partially explains why pine nuts are soooo expensive.

18. Pistachios

The pistachio tree is a desert plant that grows fruit in clusters. When the shells are ripe, they change from green to yellow and split open, revealing the nut. The coolest part? That split often happens with an audible pop.

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    • stever26 2 months ago

      2nd picture of “chestnuts” is actually BUCKEYES!

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    • chaeeunl 3 months ago

      Almond is totally going to haunt me…It’s, but still scary.

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    • Dorkus 3 months ago

      As a kid I had a subscription to “Cricket” magazine, which is sort of literary/educational for kids. There was a story in it once about kids trying to grow peanuts, and were disappointed that none grew. They were going to throw the plants away but they were lazy and didn’t want to haul all that dirt around SO they knocked the dirt off the roots and BEHOLD, there were the peanuts. For some reason I never forgot this, and can impress people at parties with my knowledge that peanuts grow underground. Not really, no one’s ever invited me to a party. Maybe because I know too much about peanuts.

    • Cates Holderness 3 months ago

      I didn’t know I was curious about this until now. This is awesome.