Anacardium giganteum Hancock ex Engl.
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Authority
Mitchell, D. J. & Mori, S. A. 1987. The cashew and its relatives (Anacardium: Anacardiaceae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 42: 1-76. (Monograph of the genus Anacardium (Anacardiaceae).)
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Family
Anacardiaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Trees, to 40 m x 300 cm. Trunk cylindrical. Bark very thick, gray, moderately coarse, with vertical fissures, the inner bark pinkish-brown. Leaf blades narrowly obovate to broadly obovate, rarely oblanceolate, to 36.5 x 14 cm, char-taceous to coriaceous, shiny adaxially, the midrib and lateral veins on abaxial surface sparsely to densely puberulous, glabrous on adaxial surface except for an occasionally puberulous midrib, with 15-36 pairs of lateral veins, these and tertiary veins prominent both abaxially and adaxially, the midrib impressed to prominulous adaxially, more prominent abaxially than in A. spruceanum; base cuneate, obtuse, or slightly auriculate, frequently asymmetrical; apex usually rounded or obtuse, sometimes shortly acuminate, emarginate or rarely truncate; margins entire; petioles 5-15 mm long, broadly canaliculate, sparsely to densely puberulous abaxially, sparsely puberulous adaxially. Inflorescences sparse, 16.5-26 x 17-29 cm, densely puberulous, especially toward apices of rachises, the peduncle 0.5-2.5 cm long, the upper bracts sepallike, narrowly ovate, 2 mm long, the lower bracts obovate, leaf-like, with prominent lateral veins abaxially, puberulous abaxially, the pedicels 1.3-2 mm long, puberulous. Bisexual flowers: corolla campanulate, 3-4 mm diam.; sepals ovate, 1.4-2.3 x 1-1.5 mm, puberulous on both surfaces; petals lanceolate to ovate, 4-5 x 1.5-2.2 mm, recurved, sparsely puberulous on both surfaces, yellow basally and white distally before pollination, dark red after pollination, very fragrant; stamens 7-10, with one stamen much larger, the largest filament 3.8-4.5 mm long, glabrous, the smaller filaments 1 mm long, with no apparent thecae, globose at apices; staminal tube 0.5-1 mm long; ovary 1.5-2 x 1.2-2.2 mm, pubescent at apex, the style excentric, 3-4.3 mm long, red, the stigma punctiform. Staminate flowers with pistillode 1 mm long. Hypocarp pyriform, 1.3 x 1-5 cm, red. Drupe subreniform, black, 27 x 18 mm.
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Discussion
Type. Brazil. Amazonas: Rio Negro between Barcellos and S. Isabel, Dec 1851 (fl, fr), Spruce 1971 (Holotype, B, destroyed; Isotypes, BM!, GH!, K!, M!, NY!, P!). Anacardium giganteum Loudon ex Steudel, Nomencl. hot. I: 82. 1821, nomen nudum. The flowers of A. giganteum change color after pollination from yellow and white to dark red (Daly et al. 1483). The single fertile stamen is only 0.5 mm long in unpollinated bisexual flowers, but it increases to 4.5-5 mm long and dehisces after pollination (i.e., in flowers with red corollas). This suggests that self-pollination is inhibited by protogyny. The hypocarp is eaten by spider and capuchin monkeys (Roosmalen, 1985). The seed is sometimes dispersed endozoocho-rously by tortoises (Roosmalen, 1985). Local names and uses. Brazil: Cajúaçú, cajú açú, cajú assú, cajú da matta, cajuhy, cajuí, cajú-y. Guyana: Hooboodie, wild cashew, wini-bisi. Peru: Casho sacho, marañon gigante. Surinam: Akajoe, akoejoe, boesi kasjoe, bosch kasjoe, hoeboedie, kadjoe mattoe. Venezuela: Merey, merey montanero. In Brazil “cajuí” usually applies to A. giganteum “cajú-assú” to A. spruceanum. The wood is easily worked and finishes smoothly (Kribs, 1928). The ripe hypocarp is edible and a fine red wine can be prepared from its juice (Benza, 1980; Ducke, 1939). However, the quality of the ripe hypocarp varies from very sweet and tasty to extremely acidic and usually they are too sour for eating (Ducke, 1939). An-acardium giganteum is abundant in the forests of Parque Nacional do Tumucumaque and Amapá, Brazil where it is an important item in the diet of the native indians. They consume the hypocarps mixed with the flour of mandioca {Manihot esculenta Crantz) (Cavalcante, 1976). The seeds are toxic when raw but edible when roasted, and are said to be as delicious as those of the commercial cashew (Benza, 1980). Anacardium giganteum is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental in the suburbs of Belém and in the interior of the Amazon basin (Ducke, 1939).
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Distribution
Distribution. From the Pacific coast of Colombia and Loreto, Peru south to northern Mato Grosso and east to Surinam and Maranhão, Brazil.
Colombia South America| Peru South America| Suriname South America|