Kaju / Cashew-Nut Tree
Anacardium occidentale
Also known as Cashew Apple
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra & more
- Flowering
- December-May
How to identify Kaju
Identify Kaju by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Cultivated cashew.
- Confirm leaf shape: Obovate.
- Confirm leaf margin: Entire.
- Confirm flower colour: Green.
- Confirm flower arrangement: Corymb.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: December-May.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Anacardium occidentale
- Genus
- Anacardium
- Family
- Anacardiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Native to
- Tropical America
- Distribution
- Widely cultivated in Tropics of the World
- Found in India
- Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry
- Flowering & fruiting
- December-May
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- ObovaterecordedEgg-shaped but broader near the tip rather than the base.“The leaves are spirally arranged, leathery textured, elliptic to obovate, 4–22 centimetres (1+1⁄2–8+3⁄4 inches) long and 2–15 cm (3⁄4–6 in) broad, with smooth margins.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- EntirerecordedA smooth, unbroken edge with no teeth or notches.“The leaves are spirally arranged, leathery textured, elliptic to obovate, 4–22 centimetres (1+1⁄2–8+3⁄4 inches) long and 2–15 cm (3⁄4–6 in) broad, with smooth margins.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- GlabrousrecordedSmooth, hairless.“The leaves are spirally arranged, leathery textured, elliptic to obovate, 4–22 centimetres (1+1⁄2–8+3⁄4 inches) long and 2–15 cm (3⁄4–6 in) broad, with smooth margins.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kaju itself; the rest are typical of the Anacardiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- GreenrecordedGreen or greenish“each flower is small, pale green at first, then turning reddish, with five slender, acute petals 7–15 millimeters (1⁄4–5⁄8 in) long.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Flower arrangement
- CorymbrecordedA flat-topped cluster where outer flower stalks are longer than inner ones.“The flowers are produced in a panicle or corymb up to 26 cm (10 in) long;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fruit type
- DruperecordedA fleshy fruit with a single hard stone/pit enclosing the seed.“The true fruit of the cashew tree is a kidney-shaped or boxing glove-shaped drupe that grows at the end of the cashew apple.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Drupe
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kaju itself; the rest are typical of the Anacardiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- काजू Kaju,काजू kaju
- Nepali
- काजु Kaaju, काजु
- Bengali
- হিজলি-বাদাম Hijali-badam, কাজু Kaju, কাজু বাদাম
- Tamil
- சிகிடிமா Cikitima, கல்லார்மா Kallarma, கிருட்டிணை Kiruttinai, முந்திரி
- Telugu
- అగ్రబీజము Agrabijamu, జీడి మామిడి Jeedi maamidi, జీడి పప్పు Jeedi Pappu, జీడిపప్పు
- Kannada
- ಗೇರು Geru, ಗೋಡಂಬಿ Godambi, ಗೋವೆ Gove
- Malayalam
- കശുമാവ് Kasumaavu, പറങ്കിമാവ് Parankimaavu, കശുമാവ്
- Marathi
- काजू Kaju, काजू, का़जु
- Sinhala
- කජු
About Kaju
Cashew-nut Tree (Anacardium occidentale) belongs to the Anacardiaceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra and 12 other states. Flowering and fruiting run from December to May.
Uses
It is grown for parts that are eaten, long used in traditional medicine and cut for timber and furniture. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice. Parts of this plant are reported as poisonous — treat it as unsafe to eat and wash your hands after handling.
Anacardiaceae
Cashew family
Kaju belongs to the Anacardiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
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