Buchanania lanzan

Buchanania lanzan is a deciduous tree in the family Anacardiaceae, the same family as cashews and mangoes, native to a wide area of Asia including Bangladesh, Cambodia, south central China and Hainan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam and the western Himalayas, where it grows in wet tropical regions. It reaches about 20 meters in height, with broadly oblong leaves 10 to 20 centimeters long, small white flowers, and reddish purple drupes whose seeds resemble pine nuts in texture. Known by names including charoli nut, almondette and Cuddapah almond, the seeds are used as a culinary spice with a flavor resembling almond or pistachio, added to sweets or ground into powders for sauces and kormas, and the plant also features in the Ayurvedic, Unani and Siddha traditional medicine systems.