Cashews grow on tropical evergreen trees that can reach up to 14 meters tall, though dwarf varieties are often cultivated for earlier and more profitable yields
. The cashew tree produces a unique fruit called the cashew apple, which is a false fruit resembling a bell pepper or small apple, and from the bottom of this fruit hangs the actual cashew nut enclosed in a hard shell
. The growth process involves:
- The cashew apple develops on the tree, and attached to its bottom is the cashew nut, also called the "droop"
- Each fruit produces only one nut.
- The nuts are harvested by hand, then dried under the sun to reduce the caustic liquid in the shell
- After drying, the nuts are roasted to destroy toxic substances and then peeled to extract the edible cashew kernel
Cashew trees thrive in seasonally dry tropical climates with temperatures ideally between 63°F and 100°F (17°C to 38°C), tolerating drought and growing well in sandy soils
. They require well-distributed rainfall or irrigation during fruit set and development but are sensitive to frost
. Propagation is typically done by planting viable seeds extracted from the nut or by vegetative methods like air layering and grafting to preserve superior varieties
. Seeds germinate readily when fresh, usually within a few days if kept moist
. In summary, cashews grow as nuts attached to the bottom of a cashew apple on tropical evergreen trees. The nuts must be carefully harvested, dried, roasted, and shelled to be edible, while the cashew apple itself is also consumed or used for juice
