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Plants

cashew

Anacardium occidentale L.

Family: Anacardiaceae · Genus: Anacardium

cashew tree

Secondary II High No biomass production
Abhishek Jacob · CC BY-SA · Wikimedia Commons

Native fruit tree of the Cerrado and Caatinga; produces a pseudofruit (the cashew apple) and the true cashew nut. Pasini lists it in the emergent stratum of Tabela 3; the Bosque de Niebla Guidebook places it at the Climax stage of the high stratum. Accepts poor and sandy soils.

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Secondary II
Ecological role
Late secondary
Primary stratum
High
Strata
High, Emergent
Biomass class
No biomass production

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
Low
Drought tolerance
High
Waterlogging tolerance
Low
Soil pH range
4.5–6.5
Preferred soil texture
Sandy, Loamy, Clayey
Hardiness zones
10–12

Morphology

Mature height
5–12 m
Root system
Taproot
Root depth
Deep
Growth rate
Moderate
Lifespan
≥ 30 years
Time to first harvest
36 months
Productive lifespan
35 years

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Cashew takes the High stratum in the Secondary II phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time.

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Emergent High · ≈12 m Medium Low Ground cover

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: August, September, October, November

Fruiting months: October, November, December, January

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long until the first harvest of cashew?

The first harvest of cashew comes around 36 months after planting.

How tall does cashew grow?

At maturity, cashew reaches 5–12 m tall.

When does cashew fruit?

Fruiting of cashew occurs in October, November, December, January.

When does cashew flower?

Flowering of cashew occurs in August, September, October, November.

What stage and stratum does cashew occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, cashew belongs to the secondary ii stage, occupying the high stratum.

Functions

🍎 Fruit 🌰 Nut Oil seed Timber 🍯 Melliferous

Propagation

Seed, Grafting

Citations

  1. Pasini, F. & Guimarães, L. (2017) — Tabela 3 (Incaper) , p. 116 (primary_stratum)
  2. Bosque de Niebla (2019) — Syntropic Farming Guidebook, Consortium Based on Stratum and Succession Level , p. 18 (gotsch_stage, primary_stratum)
  3. PFAF Plant Database — Anacardium occidentale (Cashew, Caju) (ph_min, ph_max, hardiness_zone_min, hardiness_zone_max, root_system, root_depth, soil_texture_preference, light_need, waterlogging_tolerance, productive_lifespan_years, time_to_first_harvest_months)
  4. Feedipedia — Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) nuts and by-products (drought_tolerance, productive_lifespan_years)
  5. SNIF/Serviço Florestal Brasileiro — Anacardium occidentale (Caju) fenologia (phenology)

External references

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