Cashews
Magnolias
Cashews
Dragon Plum
Kaffer Plum
Laurel Sumac
Malosma
Mangos
Pepper Trees
Pistachio
Poison Ivy
Poison Oak
Poison Sumac
Spondias
Tahitian Apple
Hog Plum
Jacota
Umbu
Sumac
Cashew - [Anacardium occidentale]
The Cashew is native to Brazil which is still a major grower, though
long overshadowed by India which has itself been eclipsed by Vietnam.
Looking at the photo at the top of the page you can see the true fruit,
shaped like a cashew nut, with a false fruit, the "cashew apple" above
it.
Cashews are never shipped "in the shell" because the "shell" is laced with blistering levels of the irritant urushiol. Cashews must be shelled and prepared with great care to prevent toxicity. While rare, there have been cases of mass rash breakouts from cans of nuts contaminated with pieces of shell. The photo shows unroasted and roasted nuts. For more see our More on Cashews page.
The "cashew apple" is edible but used fresh only locally because it is
highly perishable, starting to ferment within 24 hours. It is used mainly
to make jams and fermented and distilled into alcoholic beverages.
Malosma - [Laurel Sumac, Malosma laurina]
A large shrub common among the coastal chaparral of Southern and Baja
California. It got the name Laurel Sumac from having leaves similar
in shape to the unrelated California Laurel. It is currently used only as a
decorative but the Chumash Indians once used the fruits to make a kind of
flour and the bark to make a tea used to treat dysentery. Photo
distributed under
Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0.
Mangos - [A. Mangifera indica]
Native to India and Southeast Asia mangos have been cultivated since
prehistory. Over 1000 varieties are recognized and hundreds are cultivated
in India where the fruit is a national obsession. We see just a few varieties
here in California. Mangos ripen from June to November depending on variety
and where they are grown, earlier inland later on the coast.
India is by far the largest grower of mangos followed by Southeast Asia, but most sold in the U.S. are grown in Mexico. Florida production was largely wiped out by hurricane Andrew and has not yet recovered, but major production has just come on line in Southern California. See our More on Mangos page.
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Green Mango - [Amchur]
Keitt - [var. Keitt]
Manila Mango - [#4312 var. Manila]
Red Mango - [#4051 (sm) #4959 (lg), mostly var.
Kent, Hayden]
Tommy Atkins - [var. Tommy Atkins]
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In India some mangos are picked green (unripe), cut, dried and sold as chunks
or in powdered form (Amchur, Amchur powder). This is a very important souring
agent in the drier and more northern areas of India where lemons and limes
are expensive and quickly rot. As a powder it is light weight and lasts a
long time, similar to the 
Developed and grown in Veracruz, Mexico this is a Philippine type mango,
flat, elongated and yellow. It ripens Oct-Dec with late picked fruit
having best flavor. Some are grown in Southern California and show up at
certified farmer's markets.
India type mangos grown in Mexico, these are the standard mango sold
in Southern California. Plump ovate, green yellow with red shoulders.
Kent is 20 to 26 ounces and ripens late mid-season. Hayden is up to 24
ounces and ripens early. Both have good flavor and little or no fiber.
Pepper Trees -Schinus]
These trees are in no way related to the plants that give us black, white, green, red or Sichuan peppercorns. They provide instead the Pink Peppercorns that were so popular with the fancy chef set some years back. There has been much talk of pink peppercorns grown in Florida causing throat irritation, but in general there is almost no irritant in dried berries.
Fruits of this tree are used in the Caribbean for both seasoning and
medicinal purposes. "Pink peppercorns" from trees growing in Florida were
reputed to cause an allergic reaction in some people (throat irritation)
so the chefs got their berries from the Caribbean island of Réunion.
This low growing tree is extremely invasive in wet climates and almost
impossible to eradicate, particularly a problem in Hawaii and Florida.
It can be told from the Peruvian / California pepper tree by the rounded
tips of its leaves and their relatively smooth edges.
Photo United States Geological Service - public domain
This tree is very common in Southern California and can be told from the
Brazilian Pepper Tree by the leaves which are pointed at the tip and
distinctly toothed along the edges. I have not heard of any irritation
caused by "pink peppercorns" from this tree nor have I noted any irritation
from eating the fruits or from handling the leaves and branches
of the trees on my property. This can be a very invasive tree but here in
Southern California it's kept well under control by the dryness.
Pistachios used to come from Persia, Afghanistan and
Turkey. Today I see some Turkish in markets serving Mid Eastern communities
but Persia (Iran) is embargoed and Afghanistan seems to have found opium
more profitable.California has taken up the slack. After testing 13 varieties Kerman and Lassen were chosen for nut bearing female trees and Peters as a male pollen producer. Kerman and Lassen produce particularly large crisp nuts. The first harvest was in 1976 and California is now the second largest producer in the world at 400 million pounds.
Some say Iranian nuts are better - I can't get any to compare, but
they do grow more varieties (C1). The Turkish I've found
are good but often over-roasted. The photo specimens are all California.
To the right are roasted nuts, in the center roasted kernels, and to the
left are fresh whole fruits and unroasted nuts (probably unavailable outside
California).
Low growing plants with leaves in sets of three, common in forested areas
of the USA. They contain significant amounts of the irritant urushiol and
we do not recommend attempting to use any Toxicodendron species for
food in any way. This recommendation is self enforcing.
Spondias - [genus Spondias,
var species]
These are minor fruits even in their home ranges. In general they
are not cultivated but are picked wild. Listed here are the most important.
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Jocote - [Spondias purpurea, Red Mombin, Purple Mombin,
Ciruela, Hog Plum]
Umbu - [Spondias tuberosa]
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Tahitian Apple - [Spondias cytherea, Otaheite apple,
Golden Apple]
Hog Plum - [Spondias mombin, Yellow Mombin, Hog Plum
(Caribbean); Spanish Plum, Gully Plum (Jamaica); Ashanti Plum (Ghana);
Golden Apple, Java Plum]
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Sumac Spice - [Rhus coriaria]
Staghorn Sumac
Lemonade Berry - [Rhus integrifolia]
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Fruits of this Near Eastern species are used to make a dry
purple-red souring agent used in place of lemon. It is widely used and
sold in the U.S. simply as "Sumac". You can easily find it in markets
serving Near Eastern communities.
The fruits of Staghorn Sumac Rhus typhina (photo) are soaked strained
and sweetened to make a beverage similar to pink lemonade. The leaves were
mixed with tobacco and smoked by Native Americans and some still use it
that way. Photo U.S. Federal government - public domain.
This species grows only in dry costal regions of Southern and Baja
California. The name implies a drink similar to lemonade can be made
from mature berries but I'm not sure what precautions (if any) should be
taken. The seeds can be ground to extract an oil which solidifies at
room temperature and can be used to make candles. This plant really doesn't
look much like a sumac due to its solitary leaves. Photo distributed
under Others
Relatively minor genera - details to be filled in as they become
available.
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Dragon Plum - [Tarawau,
Dracontomelon vitiense]
Kaffir Plum - [Harpepbyllum caffrum]
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