Anacardiaceae

Defining Characteristics

• Resinous or milky sap, often containing urushiol or related phenolic compounds causing contact dermatitis
• Drupe fruits with a fleshy or resinous mesocarp and hard endocarp
• Alternate leaves, commonly pinnately compound or trifoliate
• Flowers small, 5-merous, often in large panicles
• Resin canals present in bark and fruit tissues

Notable Genera

• Anacardium (cashew)
• Mangifera (mango)
• Pistacia (pistachio)
• Rhus (sumac)
• Toxicodendron (poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac)
• Spondias (hog plum)
• Schinus (pepper tree)

Notes

Economically vital for cashew, mango, and pistachio crops. Toxicodendron species are major causes of allergic contact dermatitis in North America. Lacquer trees (Toxicodendron vernicifluum) have been used in Asian lacquerware for millennia.