Statue of Unity – Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat Rain Forest Ektanagar

Semecarpus anacardium

Syn. Cassuvium anacardium

IUCN Red List Least Concern (LC)

Local name

  • Marking Nut (English)
  • Bhela (Hindi)
  • Bhilamo (Gujarati)

Tree type

Evergreen Deciduous
Family: Anacardiaceae
15m

Indicated uses

Medicinal Edible Ornamental Avenue Other

Flowering & fruiting

Flowering Fruiting

Key characters

Semecarpus anacardium bark

Bark

Dark bark with irritant resin This bark structure helps in distinguishing it from closely related species.

Semecarpus anacardium leaves

Leaves

Obovate clustered leaves Leaf texture and arrangement provide strong diagnostic value.

Semecarpus anacardium flower

Flower

Yellow-green flowers Bloom structure and petal behavior assist in species recognition.

Semecarpus anacardium fruit / seeds

Fruit / Seeds

Black drupe Fruit morphology is an important feature for field identification. Single toxic seed Seed traits contribute to accurate species-level confirmation.

Semecarpus anacardium

Did you know?

Its fruit contains a highly irritating black resin that has historically been used as a marking or dye material. Direct contact with the resin can cause severe skin irritation.

Distribution

World map showing distribution

Indian Subcontinent to Myanmar, Trinidad-Tobago