Pistachio
Pistacia vera
Anacardiaceae - Cashew

Description

Leaves: Grayish; compound; 8" long; 3-5 leaflets per leaf (occasionally 1-7), 2" to 4" long; deciduous.

Twigs/buds: Similar to P. chinensis, its close relative; little information available.

Flowers/fruit: Flowers dioecious; brownish-green; borne in panicles, lack petals, occur in early summer, inconspicuous. Fruit a drupe or nut with an edible seed, reddish or pale tan, wrinkled; oval, 3/4" to 1" long, borne in clusters like grapes; kernel protected by creamy white, bony shell.

Bark: Light gray; furrowed.

Wood: Little information available; presumably somewhat similar to P. chinensis, which is hard and rot resistant.

General: Probably native to Asia, though it has long been grown in Asia Minor and the Mediterranean region. Small bushy tree up to 30' in height. Cultivated for edible pistachio nuts - not for ornament. Cold intolerant; requires long summers, heat, dryness, and mild winters. Prefers full sun and well-drained soils.

Landscape Use: Pistachio, the common pistachio nut, can be grown in Utah. I have seen several of these small trees growing on a rocky, windy, south-facing hillside overlooking the Logan River in Logan. They receive no irrigation or care at all, yet do quite well and bear good, large fruit. I assume they are not grafted, since the P. chinensis rootstock likely would not be cold-hardy and these trees seem unaffected by the cold. The compound leaves are fleshy and the leaves and fruit turn a nice orange-red in the fall. Zones 4-9.

Characteristics

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