Introduction to the Anacardiaceae Family

The Anacardiaceae family is part of the Sapindales order of core dicots. When you learn to identify the Anacardiaceae family, you will quickly learn its most well-known members in North America, the sumac (Rhus spp) and poison ivy (Toxicodendron spp). The sumac trees are often used ornamentally for their ease of growing and their pretty red drupes that persist all winter. Poison ivy is well known to anyone who has ever hiked in the forest since it causes very itchy contact dermatitis. 

There is an old saying, “Leaves of three, let it be,” since all of the Toxicodendron species that cause poison ivy rash have trifoliate leaflets. It is a good rule of thumb if you are unsure of your plant ID. But be aware that numerous innocuous species exist that also have trifoliate leaves, so do not assume it is always poison ivy. Poison ivy (shrub form) can also be mistaken for young oaks at times because the leaves often resemble those of the white oak.

Common Botanical Description

If you’re new to plant morphology, this is a perfect beginner’s description to learn to identify the Anacaradiaceae family, with no need to know any scientific jargon. For researchers or those wanting to learn a more in-depth version, check out the Scientific Botanical Description below.

Leaves and Stems: Mostly woody shrubs and trees or climbing vines with resin canals in their leaves, roots, and stems that often release a milky or resinous juice when damaged and that may be aromatic. Leaves are often arranged in a spiral pattern along the stem and may be simple (1 blade) or compound and made of multiple leaflets.

Flowers: These are usually quite small and occur in branched clusters called panicles. Most flowers have 5 sepals and 5 petals, but they may lack petals or they may all be more green and sepal-like. They often contain a ring-shaped nectary inside to attract pollinators.

Reproductive Features: These are quite diverse in the family, with bisexual flowers that contain both male and female parts or separate male and female flowers that may be on the same (monoecious) or separate plants (dioecious). There are usually 5-10 stamens and a superior ovary (sits above the point of petal attachment) with 1 or up to 6 styles (the tube that collects pollen) on top.

Fruits: The fruit is usually a fleshy drupe (think cherry but usually smaller) containing a fleshy outer part and a single hard pit. The fruits and sap of some species contain urushiol, the toxic oil responsible for the skin irritation of poison ivy (Toxicodendron species).

Uses of Anacardiaceae 

Some Anacardiaceae are edible plants, such as cashew nuts (Anacardium and the fleshy peduncle of the cashew apple), mango (Mangifera), Jamaica plum, hog-plum, imbu (a plum-like fruit from Spondias), and Amarula cream (from Sclerocarya typically made into a liqueur). Resins, oils, and lacquers are derived from Toxicodendron. Several non-native Anacardiaceae are cultivated in the Neotropics for their edible fruits, including Bouea macrophylla,, Harpephyllum caffrum, Mangifera indica, Schinus terebinthifolia, Sclerocarya birrea subspecies caffra, and Spondias dulcis. Many Anacardiacea species are notorious for their allergenic properties that often cause severe rashes, particularly Toxicodendron spp. (Poison Oak, Poison Ivies).

Morphology of Anacardiaceae in North America

Some Anacardiaceae Species I have Covered So Far

Anacardioideae Subfamily

Mangifera indica—Mango

A 10-20 m tall tree with long oblong leaves and large edible drupes on very long peduncles. Native to Asia but widely cultivated in southern North America, especially in Mexico.

Pistacia vera—Pistacio

A small to medium-sized tree up to 10 m tall with deciduous, pinnate leaves 10–20 cm long. Flowers have no petals and male and female flowers occur on separate trees (dioecious). Fruits are a drupe containing the elongated pistacio “nut.” These flowers are male.

Rhus aromatica—Fragrant Sumac

A somewhat lemon-scented shrub with trifoliate lobed leaves and hairy red drupes. Dioecious with small inconspicuous flowers. Native throughout the USA, Mexico, and southeastern Canada.

Rhus copallinum—Shining Sumac

A tall shrub with glossy odd-pinnate leaves that have a conspicuously winged rachis or petiolules (visible in the photo). Native to eastern North America, often cultivated.

Rhus glabra—Smooth Sumac

A tall shrub with hairless branches and odd-pinnate leaves with 11 – 31 acuminate, serrated leaflets. Produces large dense panicles of red drupes like shown in the photo. Native to eastern North America with scattered populations in western North America.

Rhus microphylla—Littleleaf Sumac

A desert shrub that often flowers before its tiny, odd-pinnate, glossy green, leathery, hairy leaves emerge. Fruits are clusters of small hairy drupes. Native to the southwestern USA plus northern and central Mexico.

Rhus trilobata—Skunkbush Sumac

Despite its pungent, bitter scent that gives it a bad rap, it is not nearly as unpleasant as a skunk. It is a shrub with trifoliate lobed leaves (shown in the pic) and flowers in catkins, and its fruits are hairy, sticky red drupes. Native to western North America, including western Mexico.

Rhus typhina—Staghorn Sumac

A large shrub with odd-pinnate leaves with 9 – 31 serrated leaflets; stems and petioles are densely red-hairy (unlike R. glabra). Native to northeastern USA and southeastern Canada.

Toxicodendron radicans—Eastern Poison Ivy

A climbing vine (sometimes a shrub) with woody stems & trifoliate shiny leaves that are usually not serrated. Flowers are small, greenish, and inconspicuous. The fruit is a gray-white drupe. Causes contact dermatitis. Native to the eastern USA and Canada.

Toxicodendron rydbergii—Western Poison Ivy

A shrub with opposite trifoliate leaves that are often asymmetrical. The fruits are white, yellow, or brown drupes that are ribbed (green like in the photo when still immature). Native throughout the USA and Canada but mostly found in the West.

Scientific Botanical Description of the Anacardiaceae

Habit & Leaf Form of the Anacardiaceae

Trees or shrubs, self-supporting or climbing, sometimes with a milky juice that may be resinous or laticiferous. Leaves are evergreen or deciduous and alternate spiral except in Bouea, where they are opposite, and may be aromatic when resinous but are otherwise odorless. They are simple or compound ternate, trifoliate, imparipinnate, or rarely paripinnate or bipinnate. Primary venation is pinnate or rarely palmate. Secondary venation is eucamptodromous, brochidodromous, craspedodromous, cladodromous, or rarely reticulodromous. If present, cladodromous venation is diagnostic for the Anacardiaceae family. Leaves are exstipulate. Lamina margins are entire. Domatia occur in 8 genera as pits, pockets, or hair tufts. Resin canals located in the inner fibrous bark and pith of the stems, roots, and leaves are characteristic of this family. Tannin sacs are very common.

Flowers of the Anacardiaceae

Plants can be hermaphroditic, monoecious, dioecious, gynodioecious, or polygamomonoecious. Pollination when heterantherous is entomophilous. Flowers are aggregated in racemose panicles. Flowers are small, regular, usually 5-merous, and either tetracyclic or pentacyclic. Free hypanthium is either absent or present but short. A hypogynous disk is present, intrastaminal and annular. The perianth has a distinct calyx and corolla or may be sepaline. The perianth has 3–5 or 6–10 parts in 1 or 2 whorls and is isomerous. Calyx has 3–5 parts in 1 whorl, is basally connate, often with cleft sepals, and lobes are shorter to longer than the tube. The calyx is regular and imbricate. The corolla, when present, has 3–5 parts in 1 whorl, is usually free but rarely can be connate basally, the lobes are longer than the tube, and it is imbricate.

Androecium of the Anacardiaceae

The androecium has 5–10(11–12) parts. Androecial members are free of the perianth and may be free of one another or sometimes coherent 1 adelphous (filaments basally connate). The members may be all equal or unequal and can be either 1 or 2 whorls. There may be 0-9 staminodes. There are 5–10 (1–12) stamens that are oppositisepalous, inserted at the base of the hypogynous disc, and are usually equal in number or twice as many as the petals. Anthers are usually dorsifixed or sometimes basifixed (Spondias), they are versatile, dehiscing via longitudinal slits, introrse, and tetrasporangiate.

Gynoecium of the Anacardiaceae

The gynoecium is usually 5-carpeled but can be 1–6 carpeled, and the pistil is 1–5 celled. The gynoecium is synovarious or synstylovarious, or rarely semicarpous. It is usually superior or sometimes partly inferior. The ovary is 1–5-locular. There is usually one style, but there may be 3–6, and in Buchanania, it has up to five styles from sterile carpels. There are 1-5 stigmas of the wet type, non-papillate, and Group IV type. Placentation, when unilocular, is parietal or basal, and when bi- or plurilocular, it is basal. There is 1 ovule per locule; it is pendulous or ascending, has either a ventral or dorsal raphe, is non-arillate, anatropous, unitegmic or bitegmic, and crassinucellate. 

Fruit of the Anacardiaceae

The fruit is usually a fleshy drupe, but sometimes it is an indehiscent non-fleshy dry fruit. The drupes have one stone, rarely open at maturity, and sometimes contain urushiol, a toxic irritant found in poison ivy and other species. Seeds are non-endospermic.

Taxonomy of the Anacardiaceae Family

The Anacardiaceae have 873 species in 80 genera of the Sapindales order of core eudicots. There are two accepted subfamilies with several dissident genera in their own groups or unplaced; here I have put them all as “unplaced in a subfamily.” As APG updates these, this record will be updated to reflect any changes.

1. Anacardioideae – Trees or shrubs with black or colored resinous exudate and crystals are present in the xylem. Leaflets are not articulated, margins are usually entire, and the base of the petiole is often swollen. Flowers are 5(-7)-merous, the calyx is more or less connate basally, the gynoecium is typically 3-carpeled, and the stigma is dry and capitate or lobed. The fruit is a drupe that is layered with a crystalliferous endocarp.  
2. Spondiadoideae – Deciduous trees or shrubs that typically cause contact dermatitis. Flower pedicels are often articulated, the gynoecium is 4-5(3) carpelled, and the stigma is only slightly expanded. Fruit is usually more than two-seeded (but sometimes only one), its pericarp may or may not have a lacuna, and the inner mesocarp is made of encircling fibers.
3. “Unplaced” includes the Sclerocarya complex of multiple genera, plus Buchanania and Campnosperma, which are grouped together, and some completely unplaced ones, including Attilaea, Haplospondias, Koordersiodendron, and Pentaspadon.

Genera of the Anacardiaceae:

Anacardioideae: Abrahamia (34), Actinocheita (1), Amphipterygium (5), Anacardium (13), Androtium (1), Apterokarpos (1?), Astronium (11), Baronia (1), Blepharocarya (2), Bonetiella (1), Bouea (3), Campylopetalum (1), Cardenasiodendron (1), Comocladia (27), Cotinus (7), Dobinea (2), Drimycarpus (4), Euroschinus (9), Faguetia (1), Fegimanra (3), Gluta (35), Haplorhus (1), Heeria (1), Holigarna (9), Laurophyllus (1), Lithraea (3), Loxopterygium (4), Loxostylis (1), Malosma (1), Mangifera (64), Mauria (15), Melanochyla (21), Melanococca (?), Metopium (4), Micronychia (10), Mosquitoxylum (1), Myracrodruon (2), Nothopegia (10), Ochoterenaea (1), Orthopterygium (1), Ozoroa (45), Pachycormus (1), Parishia (8), Pegia (2), Pistacia (12), Protorhus (3), Pseudosmodingium (5), Rhodosphaera (1), Rhus (51), Schinopsis (7), Schinus (40), Searsia (110), Semecarpus (87), Smodingium (1), Sorindeia (10), Swintonia (13), Thyrsodium (6), Toxicodendron (28), Trichoscypha (32).

Spondiadoideae: Allospondias (2), Antrocaryon (5), Choerospondias (1), Cyrtocarpa (4), Dracontomelon (9), Haematostaphis (1), Harpephyllum (1), Lannea (36), Operculicarya (9), Pleiogynium (3), Poupartia (7), Poupartiopsis (1), Pseudospondias (2), Sclerocarya (2), Solenocarpus (2), Spondias (18), Tapirira (9), Tumultivenia (1), Uniostium (1).

Unplaced in a subfamily: Attilaea (1), Buchanania (26), Campnosperma (14), Haplospondias (?), Koordersiodendron (1), Pentaspadon (6).

Key Differences From Similar Families

The Anacardiaceae differ from the similar Burseraceae by having usually alternate or sub-opposite leaves or leaflets compared to the almost always opposite leaflets of Burseraceae.

Distribution of Anacardiaceae

The Anacardiaceae family is mainly tropical to subtropical, with a few important genera found in temperate North America. They are widespread pantropically and also in the Mediterranean, eastern Asia, and the warm Americas.

Distribution of Anacardiaceae in the Americas

Canadian Genera Include:

Anacardioideae: Cotinus 1 sp. intro to ON; Rhus 5 spp. native to all S provinces except NL; Toxicodendron 3 spp. native in all S provinces except NL, and including YT. 

USA Genera Include:

Anacardioideae: Cotinus 2 spp. including 1 C+E USA endemic and 1 intro to UT, TX, OK, AR, IL, MO, AL, GA, TN, KY, OH, PA, NY, MD, DE, NJ, CT, MA, VT; Lithraea 1 sp. intro CA; Malosma monospecific S NAM endemic native CA; Mangifera 1 sp. intro to FL; Metopium 1 Gulf + Caribbean endemic sp. native to FL; Pistacia 3 spp, inc native in TX and 2 intro to CA, UT, OK, AL, GA, and VA; Rhus 16 spp. native and intro in the entire US, inc. HI; Schinus 5 former SAM endemic spp. intro to CA, TX, AL, FL, and HI; Searsia 1 sp. intro to CA and AZ; Sorindeia 1 sp. intro to FL; Toxicondrendon 5 spp. native in all the USA. Spondiadoideae: Spondias 1 sp. intro to FL. 

Mexico Genera Include:

Anacardioideae: Actinocheita monospecific Mesoamerican endemic of Honduras and Nay, Jal, Col, Mch, Gro, Oax, and Pue; Amphipterygium 5 Mexico & CAM endemic spp. native to most of Mexico except NW Mexico, including 2 endemics of SW Mexico (1), Dgo + Jal (1); Anacardium 1 sp. intro to Nay, Jal, Col, Mch, Gro, and Oax; Astronium 2 Mexico & neoendemic spp. native most of Mexico exc. central and NW, inc. 1 narrow endemic of Ver; Bonetiella monospecific endemic of NE Mexico; Comocladia 5 Mexico & CAM endemic spp. native in all of Mexico, inc. 3 endemic to Mexico; Cotinus 3 spp. native to Chi, Coa, NL, Tam, Dgo, Zac, Ags, Gto, Qro, and Hgo, including 2 endemics; Lithraea 1 sp. intro in Pue; Malosma monospecific S NAM endemic native BCN, BCS, Son, Sin, Chi, Coa, NL, Tam, SLP, Dgo, Zac, and Mexican Pacific Islands; Mangifera 1? sp. intro SW+SE+C Mexico; Metopium 1 Gulf & Caribbean endemic spp. native to Ver, Chp, Cam, Tab, Yuc, and QR; Mosquitoxylum monospecific N Neo endemic sp. native to S Mexico in Nay, Jal, Col, Mch, Gro, Oax, Chp, Ver, Tab, Cam, Yuc, and QR; Pachycormus monospecific endemic of BCN, BCS; Pistacia 2 sp. inc 1 native to most of Mexico except BC, BCS, Son, and Sin and 1 intro to N Mexico; Pseudosmodingium 5 spp. endemic to most of Mexico exc. SE Mexico; Rhus 15+ spp. native throughout Mexico including the Mexican Pacific Is.; Schinus 2 former SAM endemic spp. intro N and SW Mexico; Toxicodendron 4 spp. native to all of Mexico. Spondiadoideae: Spondias 3 spp. native to all of Mexico; Tapirira 2 Mexico & neoendemic spp. native SW Mexico, Pue, Ver, Cam, Tab, Yuc, and QR, including 1 endemic of Oax + Ver. Unplaced: Attilaea monospecific endemic of QR, Yuc, and Guatemala; Cyrtocarpa 3 Mexico & N neoendemic spp. native to most of Mexico exc. Ver, inc. 2 endemics.

Neotropical Genera Include:

Anacardioideae: Actinocheita monospecific Mesoamerican endemic to SC Mexico and Honduras; Amphipterygium 3 of 5 Mexico & CAM endemic spp. native to Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and NW Costa Rica; Anacardium 13 spp of former neoendemic genera native from Honduras S to Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, S Brazil, and also in Cuba and intro to the rest of Antilles (exc. Netherlands Antilles & Aruba), Belize, and El Salvador; Apterokarpos (~Loxopterygium?) monospecific endemic to the Caatinga of NE Brazil?; Astronium 10 Mexico & neoendemic spp. native to CAM S through tropical SAM to Peru, Bolivia, NE Argentina, S Brazil, including 5 narrow endemics of Brazil (4) and Trinidad-Tobago; Cardenasiodendron monospecific endemic to Bolivia; Comocladia 24 Mexico & CAM endemic spp. native to Guatemala, Belize, Greater Antilles, and Leeward & Windward Is. with 15 single-island endemics of Jamaica (6), Hispaniola (5), Cuba (2), Dominican Republic, Haiti, and 1 extinct sp. of the Windward Is.; Haplorhus monospecific endemic to the dry inter- Andean valleys of Peru to N Chile; Lithraea 3 SAM endemic spp. of C+E+S Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, N Argentina, Uruguay, and C Chile, inc. 1 narrow endemic of C Chile; Loxopterygium 4 SAM endemic spp. of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, NW Argentina, and NE Brazil; Mangifera 1 sp. intro to Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Galapagos, Antilles (excluding Netherlands Antilles, Aruba), Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, and S Brazil; Mauria 15 neoendemic spp. from Costa Rica S to Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and NW Argentina; Metopium 4 Gulf & Caribbean endemic spp. native to Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Antilles (except Leeward Is. & Venezuelan Antilles), and the SW Caribbean; Mosquitoxylum monospecific N neoendemic of Jamaica, S Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Ecuador; Myracrodruon 2 SAM endemic spp. of Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and N Argentina; Ochoterenaea monospecific N SAM endemic to Andean Venezuela and Colombia, and Bolivia; Orthopterygium monospecific endemic to W Peru; Pistacia 1 sp. native to Guatemala and Honduras; Rhus 1-3? spp. native to Cuba, Bahamas, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, and intro to Trinidad-Tobago; Schinopsis 7 SAM endemic spp. of Peru, Bolivia, C+E Brazil, Paraguay, and N Argentina; Schinus 40 former SAM endemic spp. native to Peru, Bolivia, and C+E+S Brazil and all south (absent Amazonia), and intro to Ecuador, Colombia, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuelan Antilles, Guatemala, and El Salvador; Semecarpus 1 sp. intro to Trinidad-Tobago; Thyrsodium 6 N SAM endemic spp. of Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and N+C+E Brazil; Toxicodendron 3 spp. including 2 native to Bermuda, the Bahamas, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia and 1 sp. intro to Cuba. Spondiadoideae: Antrocaryon 1 sp. endemic to Colombia and Amazonian N+C Brazil (rest of genera are tropical Africa); Dracontomelon 1 sp. intro to Trinidad-Tobago; Spondias 12 spp. inc 11 natives of Antilles, CAM S through tropical SAM S to Peru, Bolivia, and C+SE Brazil, and 1 sp. intro to Guatemala, Belize, Nicaragua, Panama, the Greater Antilles, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, N+SE Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru, including 6 narrow endemics of E Brazil; Tapirira 8 Mexico & neoendemic spp. native from CAM S through tropical SAM to Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, and S Brazil, including 3 narrow endemics of Costa Rica, Colombia, and French Guiana; Tumultivenia monospecific endemic of E + WC Brazil; Uniostium monospecific endemic of Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and the Netherlands Antilles. Unplaced: Attilaea monospecific endemic of SE Mexico and Guatemala; Campnosperma 2 neoendemic spp. from Honduras S to Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Amazonian N Brazil (most of the genus is in Madagascar, Asia, and Australasia); Cyrtocarpa 2 Mexico + neoendemic spp. native to Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, N+C+E Brazil, and the Netherlands Antilles.

Patagonia Genera Include:

Anacardioideae: Lithraea 1 SAM endemic spp. native to Bio Bio to Los Lagos in C. Chile; Schinus 6 former SAM endemic spp. native to the entire region. 

Additional Information and References

• Visit Lyrae’s Dictionary of Botanical Terms to learn the terminology of botanists. Note that if you hover over most of the words in the articles, you can also get definitions from them there.
• Willis, Lyrae (Unpublished). Plant Families of North America. This is where all of the family descriptions come from. Below should be most of my references for this, along with my own observations in North America.
• Canadensys: Acadia University, Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre, University of Toronto Mississauga, University of British Columbia. http://data.canadensys.net/explorer (accessed 2020 – current)
• Flora of North America (1993+). https://floranorthamerica.org/Main_Page.
• Delta: Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. (1992+). The Families of Flowering Plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. Version: 2nd May 2020. delta-intkey.com. Accessed spring through fall of 2020.
• GBIF.org (2020), GBIF Home Page. Available from: https://www.gbif.org
• Naturalista: CONABIO http://www.naturalista.mx Accessed 2020–current.
• Neotropikey: Milliken, W., Klitgård, B. & Baracat, A. eds. (2009+). Neotropikey: Interactive key and information resources for flowering plants of the Neotropics. www.kew.org/neotropikey.com (accessed 2020 – current).
• Patagonia Wildflowers: Wildflower Identification Site. https://patagoniawildflowers.org/ Accessed throughout the fall of 2020.
• POWO (2019). Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet: http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/ Retrieved Winter 2020-current.
• USDA, NRCS. 2020. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 2 June 2020). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC, USA; accessed throughout fall of 2020.
• WFO (2022): World Flora Online. Published on the Internet: http://www.worldfloraonline.org. Accessed Spring 2022 – current

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Copyright Information

The information and the photos on this site are free to use for educational purposes, with proper attribution. For other uses, please contact me first.

You can cite this site as follows: Willis, Lyrae (2020+). Lyrae’s Nature Blog – Plant Families of North America. https://lyraenatureblog.com/. Accessed [Enter Date].