10 MISC. PUB. 882. U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
BN—13193 
I'IGURE 3.—Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) 
4 inches wide and 5 to 6 inches long, are smooth and dark green 
above, pale beneath, and have strong, lateral, widely spread veins. 
The thick, leathery leaf blades have smooth margins, and are rounded 
or occasionally shallow notched at their tips. The small, hght-purple 
fiowers are borne in loose clusters on stems that are about twice the 
length of the leaves. The kidney-shaped “nut,” about an inch long, 
is toxic to many people when raw, but the kernel is safe when roasted 
and is the cashew nut of commerce. The nut is borne on the end of 
the handsome and edible cashew apple, which is really the much- 
