Arachis Pintoi (Pinto Peanut): A Pretty Ground Cover

When I first came onboard this farm, I’ve seen these beautiful yellow flower creepers growing in the wild by the road shoulders and certain sections of the farm. They could have been planted by the previous owners as they seemed to be too organised, albeit at sporadic localised sections around the farm.

They were too beautiful to be considered as regular weeds. Their very striking visual appearance suggested its usefulness, even though still unknown to me then. Regardless, one trait stood out. It’s very hard to kill. Constant cutting it close to the ground does nothing to suppress its growth.

As my knowledge grew more about plant identification, I came to know that it is a leguminous plant by recognising its pinnate leave structures. I was also alerted to a friend’s suggestion that it could be a Pinto peanut. Pinto it is after some googling! It is not a surprise that it is a wild perennial relative of the groundnut, as one Indonesian worker pointed out asking if it’s a peanut.

The fact that it’s hard to extinguish proves its function as a potent candidate for ground cover. I am already planting it on the banks of the new natural pond I’ve dug to stabilise its slopes.

Pinto peanut grows well in full sunlight and can also tolerate moderate shade. It’s not a fussy plant in terms of soil fertility and growing conditions. The fact that it’s growing abundantly (abandoned it is) and well on road shoulders speaks volume! One of its notable characteristics is that it is very tolerant to heavy grazing; hence its die-hard trait.

Boasting a 17% – 20% protein content, arachis pintoi is suitable for grazing by cattle and sheep. However, due to its low forage production, it is not useful as a cut-and-carry forage material.

More importantly, goats do eat them. It will be one of the many variety of vegetation in the goat’s diet as I shall soon experience.