Scott Douglas Hedrich, age 12, of Lexington, N.C., for his question:

HOW DOES THE CASHEW NUT GROW?

One of the favorite party treats is the cashew nut, a fruit that grows on trees which can be found in the tropical and suptropical areas of the Americas as far north as southern Florida.

The nut is produced from a pink, star shaped flower that turns into a bland, edible kernel. Two leathery outer layers have between them a soft, dark colored layer containing an acrid juice which is used as wood protecting varnish.