Anacardium occidentale, commonly known as the cashew tree, is a tropical evergreen tree native to northeastern Brazil, now widely cultivated in various tropical regions around the world.
🌿 Overview of Anacardium occidentale (Cashew Tree)
🌳 Tree
A small to medium-sized tree, usually 10–12 meters tall.
Spreading canopy with irregular branching.
Evergreen, with leathery, simple leaves that are oval-shaped and glossy.
🌸 Flowers
Small, pinkish or yellowish-green.
Appear in terminal panicles (branching flower clusters).
Flowers are fragrant and attract pollinators like bees.
🌰 Fruit and Nut
Produces two parts:
Cashew apple: A swollen, fleshy, pear-shaped stalk (not a true fruit), usually red or yellow when ripe. Edible, juicy, and tangy.
Cashew nut: The true fruit (a kidney-shaped drupe) grows at the bottom of the cashew apple. It contains a single seed – the edible cashew nut.
Raw cashew nuts contain urushiol, a skin irritant also found in poison ivy, so they must be roasted before consumption.
