Marking Nut, Semecarpus Anacardium also known as Bhallatak (India) is a medium-sized nut bearing tree, indigenous to India closely related to the cashew. The name Marking Nut was used by European laundrymen to mark fabric and garmenting prior to washing, as it imparted a water insolvable mark to the cloth. Semecarpus Anacardium is a member of the family Anacardiaceae the genus Semecarpus.

Semecarpus Anacardium is a deciduous tree that grows throughout India in hot weather and in the Himalayas to an elevation of up to 1000 meters. The tree reaches a height of 10-15 metres. Leaves are 30-60 cm long and 12-30 cm broad. They are smooth above and pubescent below. The flowers are small, dioecious, dull greenish white born in pubescent panicles.

Fruits of the Marking Nut are 2-3 cm in diameter, sideways ovoid or oblong drupes, black when mature, seated on a fleshy receptacle which is yellow when ripe. Nuts are about 2.5 cm long, ovate and smooth shiny black and toxic in nature. The fruits, their oil and the seeds have great medicinal value, and are applied to treat a wide range of diseases.

Marking Nut fruit is highly regarded, in Ayurvedic and Siddha medicine, for longevity and rejuvenation but it must be first processed before use as it is toxic Recent studies have also demonstrated the fruit to be a strong anti-inflammatory agent and useful in various types of cancers.

Tree propagation is by seed. Semecarpus anacardium is a highly medicinal plant and while it is not cultivated as a food crop, it is highly valued for its medicinal properties especially for the treatment of tumors and malignant growths, in traditional medicine.

Marking Nut, Semecarpus anacardium

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The key to successful fruit and nut production is the provision of a beneficial environment for the trees that bear them.