| Wild Cashew | ||||||||||||||
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| Anacardium excelsum L. | ||||||||||||||
The Wild Cashew or Espavé (Anacardium excelsum; syn. Anacardium rhinocarpus) is a tree in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The tree is common in the Pacific and Atlantic watersheds, found as far north as Guatemala and extending south into Ecuador.
It is a large evergreen tree growing to 45 m tall, with a straight, rose-hued trunk reaching 3 m in diameter. The leaves are simple, alternate, oval-shaped, 15-30 cm long and 5-12 cm broad. The flowers are produced in a panicle up to 35 cm long, each flower small, pale green to white. Older flowers turn pink and develop a strong clove-like fragrance.
The true fruit is a 2-3 cm long drupe shaped like a kidney. Maturation occurs in March, April, and May. Uncooked, the fruit is poisonous, however the nut may be roasted and eaten.
See also
- Cashew - the cultivated species Anacardium occidentale.