Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Anacardium occidentale - Cashew
Edible Portion: Nuts, Leaves, Fruit pulp, Flavouring, Seeds, Oil
A spreading evergreen tree up to 7-14 m tall. It has spreading branches. The canopy can spread 12 m. The roots grow deeply and spread widely. The bark is rough. The trunk is 15-20 cm across. The leaves are alternate. The leaves are pale green and large. They are 10-15 cm long by 6-8 cm wide. They have fine veins. They are narrow at the base. The leaf stalk is 1-2 cm long. The leaves are shiny. The flowers are produced on the ends of the branches. They are red in colour. About 14 % of the lowers are both male and female and the remainder are male. Many of the flowers which contain female flower parts do not form fruit. The nut is borne below the "apple" which is really a fleshy stalk. The nut is kidney shaped. It is about 3 cm long.