The botanical and economical characteristics of four peanut varieties (Arachis hypogaea L.) are described. This study involved the following determinations: plant habit,, branching system, weight of fruit and seed, classification of the frujt as to segmentation, shelling percentage and percentage of filled segments. The data obtained permitted the inclusion of these varieties into one of the three known vegetative types of peanut plants: Valencia, Spanish and Virginia. The variety NC4, introduced from the U.S.A. in 1952 and known to be of the Virginia type was used for comparison. The varieties Roxo and Tatu were found to belong to the Valencia type, and the var. Spanish 2B to the Spanish type.