Anacardiaceae

Family: Anacardiaceae

Taxonomic position of the Family (According to Cronquist)

Kingdom         : Plantae

Division           : Magnoliphyta

Class               : Magnoliopsida

Order              : Sapindales

Family             : Anacardiaceae

Botanical Description of the Family

The Anacardiaceae is a family of flowering plants bearing fruits that are drupes and in some cases producing urushiol, an irritant. The family includes numerous genera with several of economic importance.

Habit: Perennial, woody ever-green tree.

Root: Tap root system

Stem: Erect, large trunk, branched,

Leaf: Simple, petiolate, phylotaxy alternate some time opposite, leaf blade dorsiventral.

Inflorescence: Terminal panicle

Flower: Actinomorphic, bisexual,

Calyx: sepal composed of five ovate-lanceolate, finely pubescent, concave sepals.

Corolla: Petal five elliptic-lanceolate to obovate-lance-olate.

Androecium: Stamen 5, polyandrous.

Gynoecium: Carpel three, syncarpous,

Fruit: Drupe with an outer leathery skin (exocarp), a fleshy mesocarp and a hard, stony endocarp (pit) surrounding the seed.

Table 1. Crop Plants of Anacardiaceae Family