![]() ![]() The cashew flowers are pollinated by bats and many kinds of insects, but they are also capable of self-pollination because they have some monoecious flowers. If left on the ground in wet conditions, the seeds will germinate.Ĭashew trees reproduce sexually with seeds. The fruit is usually harvested after falling off the tree, and the apple and drupe are separated. It becomes ripe at the same time as the drupe, and they both fall off the tree together. The cashew apple requires about two months to ripen. The apple is edible but must be eaten fresh because it spoils too easily to be transported, usually within a day after being picked. The skin of the cashew apple is waxy and the fruit is juicy and sweet with yellow pulp. ![]() ![]() The stem enlarges and becomes pear-shaped to form the apple, which may be yellow, red, or yellow-red when ripe. This apple is referred to as a pseudofruit because it is not a true fruit. Many people do not recognize the cashew nut as the fruit because of the cashew apple that develops after the drupe has grown to its full size (about 1 inch long). Since the cashew is technically a seed and not a nut, some people with nut allergies may still be able to eat cashews. It appears white and meaty before roasting. The seed inside the drupe, also referred to as the kernel, has two cotyledons, which is characteristic of dicot plants. Therefore, it is important that cashews be carefully shelled to prevent any of the oil from touching the seed. The acids in the cashew shell are strong enough to cause dermatitis and severe burns to the skin, as well as the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat if ingested. The shell also contains smaller amounts of anacardic acid and other acids. The toxic liquid, called cashew nutshell oil, contains cardol, which is a urushiol (the same substance found in poison ivy). The middle layer containing the toxic oil is called the mesocarp. The outer layer of the cashew is called the exocarp, and the thick inner layer is the endocarp. Its double shell has an inner and outer layer, connected by a porous layer of tissue that contains a caustic oil. The cashew "nut" is actually a dry drupe and is the fruit of the tree. Dioecious (separate male and female) and monoecious (unisexual) flowers may be found growing together on the same panicle. They each have five slender petals and are about 1/4 inches across. ![]() The tiny, clustered flowers begin as green and turn yellowish pink to reddish pink, sometimes with stripes. Flowering occurs from August to September in Brazil, while in southern India flowers appear from December to January. In the dry season, flowers appear on 6 to 10 inch long panicles (clusters of racemes, which are similar to small branches) at the ends of the branches. The simple leaves have prominent pinnate venation, smooth margins, and are oval to elliptical in shape. The tree has large, leathery green leaves that grow 4 to 8 inches long and 2 to 3 inches wide. In some trees, the branches may become too heavy, touch the ground, and put out secondary roots at the points where they contact the ground. The branches spread very wide in an umbrella shape, and the tree's width may equal or exceed its height. The stem is short and gnarled, as are the branches. The cashew is an evergreen, tropical tree that usually grows about 40 feet high. Cashews have male, female, and bisexual flowers borne on the same panicles. ![]()
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