Presented in Association with the Western New Mexico University Department
of Natural Sciences
Anacardiaceae (Sumac Family, Cashew Family)
The Anacardiaceae are trees or shrubs with either pinnate or trifoliate compound leaves.
The inflorescences are racemes of small flowers with 5 petals and 5 or 10 stamens. The fruit is a drupe,
which is a fleshy fruit with a stony seed. Although there are edible members of this family, it also includes poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Of these, only poison ivy is found in the Gila Wildnerness.