Cashew fruits
Title | Info |
---|---|
Common name | Cashew |
Scientific name | Anacardium occidentale |
Taxonomic group | Anacardiaceae |
Source | Dan L. Perlman |
Economic botany | Food plants; Fermented products |
Food plants | Fruits |
Date | 1996 |
Location | Costa Rica,North America |
Cashews. Native to northern South America, the cashew is a relative of poison ivy, poison oak, and mangoes. The hard seed coat surrounding the ?nut? contains an irritant latex. The large red fleshy organs, called cashew ?apples? attract animal dispersers, and are sometimes used by humans, either eaten raw or crushed and fermented into wine.