He’s known to have planted a few other cashew trees in the area (all of normal stature) and even passed away under the old tree. There’s local folklore that the planting of this giant tree dates back to 1888 and is said to have been planted by a local fisherman, Luiz Inacio de Oliveira. No one knows for sure when the giant tree was planted or by whom.

The tree’s branches spread out so far that they are, sometimes, 164 feet away from the trunk of the tree. While the age of this giant tree is debatable, one thing is for sure: it’s old. Visiting the tree has become a bit of a pilgrimage and tourist attraction, with the long, windy branches making beautiful backdrops for pictures. The tree looks more like a famous forest in a national park than it does a single cashew tree. So you can imagine how unique the world’s largest cashew tree must be when it stands at the size of 70 normal cashew trees put together! This incredible attraction – called the Cashew of Pirangi, after the town it was discovered in – can be found near Natal, Brazil. The tree that produces whole cashews from its cashew apple typically grows up to 46 feet, with most profitable cultivars topping out around 20 feet high.

Cashews grow on trees in a handful of tropical climates around the world that are uniquely suited for producing the delicious nut. If you’re a lover of whole cashews, you may know a little bit about where your delicious snack comes from.

Cashew tree