Anacardium occidentale L.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Chitengo Camp, Gorongosa National Park.

Photo: Sune Holt
Vilankulo, Inhambane, Mozambique

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Synonyms:
Common names:	Cashew nut (English)
Description:	Tree, rarely a shrub. Leaves spirally arranged, shortly petiolate, broadly oblong-obovate, up to 18 cm long, leathery shiny green above, paler below, reddish when young; midrib prominent below; lateral veins 9-17 pairs. Flowers in branched terminal heads, yellowish-white, tinged pale reddish. Fruit kidney-shaped, greenish yellow, hanging from a very thickened, fleshy pedicel.
Notes:	This species is recorded in FZ 2(2): 551 for E Zimbabwe. The specimen cited is Chase in GHS 75835, which was collected in Mutare in fruit on 4 April 1957. There is no evidence from the material in SRGH as to whether this was a cultivated plant or a naturalised escape. However, in SRGH, the specimen has been placed in a cultivated plants folder. We shall therefore assume that Anacardium occurs only as a cultivated genus in Zimbabwe.
Derivation of specific name:	occidentale: occidental, western
Flowering time:	Sep - Oct
Worldwide distribution:	Tropical America; cultivated throughout the tropics
Growth form(s):	Tree.
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Image last updated:	Friday 12 September 2008
Literature:	Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 476. (Includes a picture). Fernandes, R. & A. (1966). Anacardiaceae Flora Zambesiaca 2(2) Pages 551 - 552. Parker, T. (2023). Common Trees of Mozambique The Tree Press, Austin, Texas, USA Pages 22 - 23. (Includes a picture). Siebert, S. & Mössmer, M. (Editors) (2002). SABONET Southern Mozambique Expedition 2001; Provisional Plant Checklist of the Maputo Elephant Reserve (MER) and Licuati Forest Reserve (LFR) SABONET News 7(1) Page 23.

Other sources of information about Anacardium occidentale:

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Flora of Burundi: Anacardium occidentale
Flora of Mozambique: Anacardium occidentale
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Anacardium occidentale
Flora of Zambia: cultivated Anacardium occidentale

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Anacardium occidentale
African Plant Database: Anacardium occidentale
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Anacardium occidentale
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Anacardium occidentale
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Anacardium occidentale
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Anacardium occidentale
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Anacardium occidentale
JSTOR Plant Science: Anacardium occidentale
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Anacardium occidentale
Plants of the World Online: Anacardium occidentale
Tropicos: Anacardium occidentale
Wikipedia: Anacardium occidentale