Cashew is a bean-shaped nut that grows on a tropical evergreen tree. Cashew nuts are delicious when roasted and is a popular food in the United States, India, Brazil, and several African countries pro Cashews grow in bean shaped shells attached to fruitlike cashew apples. The stem grows at the end opposite the nut.

The cashew tree is native to Central America and other tropical regions. The first cashew trees in India were brought from South America. In the United States, cashew trees grow mostly in Florida. The trees sometimes reach a height of 40 feet (12 meters). They have large, leathery, green leaves up to 6inches (15 centimeters) long and 4 inches (10 centimeters) wide. Each fruit of the cashew contains one nut. In addition to the nut, people eat the fleshy red or yellow base of the fruit, called the cashew apple. The apple may be eaten raw or made into a preserve. Cashew trees also yield a gum used in varnishes.

　　Scientific classification. Cashew trees belong to the cashew family, Anacardiaceae. The scientific name for the most important kind is Anacardium occidentale.

Catkin is a tassel like flower cluster that consists of numerous small flowers arranged around a long central axis. Each flower lacks the colored petals that are typical of most familiar wild flowers. For this reason, the grayish- or yellowish-green catkins are rarely thought of as flowers. Each catkin is either staminate (male, producing pollen) or pistil late (female, producing seeds). The wind pollinates the female catkins. The most familiar catkin is the pussy willow. Catkins appear on the branches of willows, alders, and poplars long before other spring flowers appear. Most catkins are long and drooping. They are also called aments.

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