Description: This tree species is found mainly on the banks of rivers and streams. It is a large tree that can reach a height of up to 40 meters and a diameter of up to 1.5 meters!
Common Name: Cashew, Caju
Family: Anacardiaceae
Habitats: Arid thickets in stony, sandy soils at elevations around 600 metres. Sand dunes near the sea.
Range: S. America - Brazil.
Minimal Planting Area: 20 SQM
Espavel/wild cashew anacardium excelsum
This tree species is found mainly on the banks of rivers and streams. It is a large tree that can reach a height of up to 40 meters and a diameter of up to 1.5 meters! In March, this tree bears abundant fruit and is therefore visited daily by the titi or squirrel monkeys in the Biological Corridor. The fleshy, S-shaped fruits have a pleasant sweet taste and are readily eaten by the animals.
The wood of the tree is traditionally used in carpentry and furniture making It is used to build one-piece canoes, boards for floors, beams, plywood, molds, pulp for paper, and especially to make pilones and bateas (wooden bowls) used on the farms of Costa Rican farmers to process corn and beans.
