Anacardium excelsum

Wild cashew
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiospermae
(unranked):	Eudicotidae
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Anacardiaceae
Genus:	Anacardium
Species:	A. excelsum
Binomial name
Anacardium excelsum Linnaeus
Synonyms
Anacardium rhinocarpus (Kunth) de Candolle

Anacardium excelsum (wild cashew or espavé) is a tree in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The tree is common in the tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests of Pacific and Atlantic watersheds of Central and South America, extending as far north as Guatemala and south into Ecuador.

Description

This large evergreen tree grows along riverbanks, reaching heights of up to 48 m (157 ft), with a straight, rose-hued trunk reaching 3 m (9.8 ft) in diameter. The leaves are simple, alternate, oval-shaped, 15–30 cm (5.9–11.8 in) long and 5–12 cm (2.0–4.7 in) broad. The flowers are produced in a panicle up to 35 cm (14 in) long, each flower small, pale green to white. Older flowers turn pink and develop a strong clove-like fragrance.

The fruit is a 2–3 cm (0.79–1.18 in) long, kidney-shaped drupe. Maturation occurs in March, April, and May.

Taxonomy

The wild cashew is a closely related species within the same genus as the cashew (Anacardium occidentale).

Uses

When uncooked, the fruit is poisonous. The nut may, however, be eaten after it is roasted.

References

Media related to Anacardium excelsum at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Anacardium excelsum at Wikispecies