Cashew

Cashew, common name for a tropical evergreen tree, for its edible nuts, and for the family to which the tree belongs. The family also includes poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, and the mango, the pistachio, and the smoke tree. The cashew tree, native to the Americas, is now widely cultivated in Asia (especially India) and Africa for its nuts and other products. It grows as high as 12 m (40 ft) and has leathery, oval leaves. The fragrant, reddish flowers grow in clusters, and the pear-shaped fruits, called cashew apples, are reddish or yellowish. At the end of each fruit is a kidney-shaped ovary, the nut, with a hard double shell. Between the shells is a caustic, black oil that has to be removed by a difficult roasting process; the oil is used in the plastics and varnish industries. Another roasting removes the second shell, freeing the nut. The trunk of the tree yields a milky gum also used to make varnish. The sour fruits can be eaten after processing and are used in making condiments.

Scientific classification: The cashew belongs to the family Anacardiaceae. It is classified as Anacardium occidentale.