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Semecarpus anacardium
Anacardiaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Semecarpus anacardium

Semecarpus anacardium

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

The shell surrounding the seed contains a strongly irritant substance[1]. If this is the same as for the related cashew nut, then it will be destroyed by roasting[PFAF]. The plant is poisonous to the touch in the same manner as poison ivy (Toxicodendron spp), bringing the skin up in a severe rash[2].

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
Growth—

Semecarpus anacardium is adaptable to a variety of tropical and subtropical conditions[3]. An easily grown plant requiring very little attention once established, it succeeds in soils that are too poor to support other crops[1, 2]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.5 - 6.5[2]. Dioecious - both male and female forms need to be grown if fruits and seed are required.

Propagation

Seed - Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Semecarpus+anacardium>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Nuts. — Howes. F. N. · Faber · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎Rather old but still a masterpiece. Has sections on tropical and temperate plants with edible nuts plus a section on nut plants in Britain. Very readable.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics : an Inventory — Martin, F. W.; Campbell, C. W.; Rubertbe, R. M. · U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service · 1987 ↩︎A booklet giving terse details of almost 300 species of edible fruits, plus regional lists of Botanical and Common names for over 2,500 less well-known edible fruits of the tropics.
  4. [4]Trade in Indian Medicinal Plants — D.K.Ved, S.Noorunnisa Begum, & K.Ravi Kumar · Apple Academic Press; Oakville, Canada · 2018 · ISBN 978-1-77188-600-0 ↩︎
  5. [5]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  6. [6]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  7. [7]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
  8. [8]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
  9. [9]Plants and People of Nepal — Manandhar. N. P. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 2002 · ISBN 0-88192-527-6 ↩︎Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
  10. [10]Flora Medica — Lindley J. · Longman, Orme, Brown, Green and Longmans: London · 1838 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ↩︎A massive work - many of the botanical names have changed, but the book is still a wealth of information.
  11. [11]Economic Products of India. Volume 1. — Watt. G. · Government of India: Calcutta. · 1883 ↩︎Although over 100 years old, it still contains a wealth of information on useful plants. Many of the botanical names have been changed since then, so you have to check for up to date names. The book can be downloaded from the Internet.
  12. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎