Semecarpus anacardium

• Botanical Name : Semecarpus anacardium L.
• Common Name : Marking Nut Tree, Bibba, Bhilava, Oriental Cashew Nut, Varnish Tree
• Plant Family : Anacardiaceae
• Plant Form : Tree
• Occurrence (Special Areas) : Indroda Park, Ayurvedic Udyan

About Semecarpus anacardium Plant :

• 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.