Dilip Walse Patil

Scientific Name : Semecarpus anacardium L.f.

Category : Angiosperms

Status : Alive

Habit : A small tree. Leaves : Obovate-oblong, rounded at apex, coriaceous, glabrous above, buff hairy below, margins cartilaginous, base cordate, nerves prominent on both sides. Inflorescence : Panicles. Flowers : Greenish white, fascicled in hairy panicles, female panicles shorter than male. Calyx 5-6 fid. Petals 5-6, inserted at the base of disk, broad ovate. Ovary superior, 1-celled, hairy with 3 styles. Fruit : Drupe obliquely ovoid or oblong, black, seated on a fleshy disk and receptacle. Flowering and Fruiting Time : May - July Significance : The juice of the pericarp being used for marking cotton cloths by washermen. The receptacle of the fruit is edible, sweet, tonic and aphrodisiac. The seed-oil is specific in acute rheumatism.