''Anacardium'', the cashews, are a genus of
flowering plants in the family
Anacardiaceae, native to
tropical regions of the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
. The best known species is ''
Anacardium occidentale,'' which is commercially cultivated for its cashew nuts and cashew apples.
Etymology
The name ''Anacardium'', originally from the Greek, actually refers to the nut, core or heart of the fruit, which is outwardly located (ana means "upwards" and -cardium means "heart").
Taxonomy
The oldest species of the genus ''Anacardium'' is ''Anacardium germanicum'' from the
Eocene aged
Messel Pit of Germany, well outside the current range of the genus. They were present in the Americas by the
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...
-
Miocene, as evidenced by the species ''Anacardium gassonii'' from Panama.
, the ''Plants of the World Online'' accepts 20 species:
*''
Anacardium amapaense''
J.D.Mitch.
*''
Anacardium amilcarianum''
Machado
*''
Anacardium brasiliense''
Barb.Rodr.
*''
Anacardium caracolii
''Anacardium'', the cashews, are a genus of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas. The best known species is ''Anacardium occidentale,'' which is commercially cultivated for its cashew nuts and c ...
''
Mutis ex Alba
*''
Anacardium corymbosum''
Barb.Rodr.
*''
Anacardium curatellifolium
The cashew tree (''Anacardium occidentale'') is a tropical evergreen tree native to South America in the genus ''Anacardium'' that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple accessory fruit. The tree can grow as tall as , but the dwarf cult ...
''
A.St.-Hil.
*''
Anacardium excelsum
''Anacardium excelsum'', the wild cashew or ''espavé'', is a tree in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The tree is common in the tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests of Pacific and Atlantic watersheds of Central and South Amer ...
''
L. — Wild cashew
*''
Anacardium fruticosum''
J.Mitch. & S.A.Mori
*''
Anacardium giganteum
''Anacardium giganteum'', also known as cajui, of the family Anacardiaceae are the trees that are huge and occur usually in the upland rainforest and sometimes appear in the high flood plains that holds the soil, resistant to water-log.
Referen ...
''
(Bertero & Balb. ex Kunth) Skeels — Caja acu, also known as wild cashew, used medicinally
*''
Anacardium humile
''Anacardium humile'', a plant species from the genus ''Anacardium'' and the family Anacardiaceae, is known for its medicinal and insecticidal properties. The shrub is commonly found in the Brazilian Pantanal and Cerrado
The ''Cerrado'' (, ) ...
''
Hance ex Engl.
*''
Anacardium kuhlmannianum''
Machado
*''
Anacardium microsepalum''
*'' Anacardium nanum'' A.St.-Hil.
*'' Anacardium negrense'' Pires & Froes
*'' Anacardium occidentale'' L. — Cashew
The cashew tree (''Anacardium occidentale'') is a tropical evergreen tree native to South America in the genus ''Anacardium'' that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple accessory fruit. The tree can grow as tall as , but the dwarf cult ...
*'' Anacardium othonianum'' Rizzini
*'' Anacardium parvifolium'' Ducke
*'' Anacardium rondonianum'' Machado
*'' Anacardium spruceanum'' Benth. ex Engl.
References
External links
Anacardiaceae genera
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