Cashew Tree

The ship docked in Natal Brazil on March 11 (Day 56). The highlight of the stop for myself and most of my fellow travelers was the largest cashew tree in the world (according to the Guinness Book of Records). I was expecting a tall tree, but in fact the tree is horizonal.

“The tree’s crown embraces an area of about 8,000 square meters. It is 500 meters in circumference and covers a land area that can be occupied by 70 normal-sized cashew trees.”

Many tourists visit the tree, and one can walk under it for quite a while, going between and around the various branches.

There are large scale models of the way a cashew nut grows. There is a fruit on top, then the nut is on the bottom. Cashew season was over by the time we got there, so we didn’t see any actual cashews, but there were plenty for sale.

There is a platform that we went up to get the perspective of the size of the tree. My picture couldn’t capture the whole thing, but it was impressive. Apparently this is a genetic freak of a tree, since its branches take root when they reach the ground, which is not the norm for Cashew trees.

In found this photo on Pinterest, which captures the whole tree from higher up. I am no expert on Cashew trees, so if anyone knows more, feel free to add to this post.