cashew nut

Descripción del producto

Cashew, Anacardium occidentale, is an evergreen tree in the family Anacardiaceae grown for its edible fruits (nuts). The cashew tree has a branching main trunk and characteristic domed crown. The thin foliage of the tree is limited to the ends of the branches and is made up of oval-oblong leathery, shiny dark green leaves. The leaves are smooth with pronounced veins and midrib and possess petioles which are swollen at their base. The tree produces numerous pinkish-white flowers on drooping panicles and a kidney shaped true fruit (nut) which is approximately 3 cm (1.2 in) long with a gray-brown shell and develops from a fleshy accessory fruit, sometimes referred to as the 'cashew apple'. The cashew apple is pear shaped and red to yellow in color. Cashew trees can reach a height of *2 m (*9.4 ft) and have an economic lifespan of *5 years after which time they are replaced in commercial plantations. Cashew originates from Brazil.