n. o. anacardiacej:. 377 



mamddichettu (Tel.) ; Jidi-vate, kempu gern bija, geru-poppu, 

 geru-vate, gerabija godamby (Kan.) ; Parahki-mava kuru, 

 Parangi-tnavu, kappal-clierunkuru, kappa-mavakuru (Mai.) The 

 hon. Inayet (Burm).. 



Eng. : — The Cashew Nut. 



Habitat: — Hotter parts of India, especially near the sea. 

 Naturalised from America. 



An evergreen, 10-20ft. high. Bark considerably rough. 

 In old trees it is deeply cracked. The juice from the stem is 

 thickish and resinous, slightly brownish, blackening on 

 exposure. From the bark comes a yellowish hard resin having 

 mostly the appearance of yellow amber — the Cashew gum — 

 soluble and used for nearly the same purpose as gum-arabic." 

 Wood dark brown. Charcoal of the wood used by the iron- 

 smiths of Tavoy as the best for their trade. Leaves simple, 

 smooth, alternate, ex-stipulate, quite entire, ovate or obovate, 

 with a slightly rounded emarginate apex, smooth on both sides, 

 of a hard texture ; narrower, but obtuse at base ; 4-8in. by 3-5in. 

 Venation well-marked, whitish and permanent on the under 

 surface. Nerves 10 pair, otten less, nearly horizontal, some- 

 times bifurcating faintly. The bark and leaves contain much 

 tannin. Petiole £-|in., slightly grooved on ventral side ; at 

 times cylindric. Panicles corymbose, branched and spread- 

 ing. Bracts leafy, numerous, lanceolate, hairy. Bracteoles at 

 base of pedicels, broadly ovate, generally lanceolate, acuminate. 

 Flowers small pentamerous, polygamous, Jin. diam ; yellow, 

 with pink, longitudinal stripes, often deep-crimson ; odour of 

 mixed cloves and cinnamon. Calyx inferior, cleft nearly to 

 base. Sepals erect, deciduous ; the base of sepals a crescent, 

 forming an erect disk. Corolla alternate, linear-lanceolate, 

 twice as long as the sepals. Stamens usually 9, all fertile ; one 

 of these is nearly twice as long as the rest. Stamens often 

 vary alternately. Filaments connate at base, free upwards. 

 Anthers 2-celled, introse. Pistil in the male flower minute, 

 with a very short style ; both well-devloped in the hermaph- 

 rodite flower. Ovary in the hermaphrodite flower free, 



campylotropous, superior, one-celled, ovoid or obcordate. Bail- 

 48 



