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Anacardiaceae FAMILY Near Threatened

Pistacia atlantica

Pistacia atlantica

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

The raw resin without any prior treatment is reported as toxic[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
Growth—

Pistacia atlantica has a remarkable ecological amplitude with great plasticity, able to thrive in arid Saharan areas, semi-arid forests, as well as in open areas and moister regions within agricultural landscapes[1]. The species is not very cold-hardy, however, tolerating short periods with temperatures falling to around -5°c and only succeeding outdoors in the milder regions of the temperate zone. It requires hot summers if it is to thrive, in cooler regions the wood does not ripen fully and is more susceptible to damage by cold in the winter.. Requires a sunny position in a deep well-drained light soil[2]. Succeeds in dry soils. This species can grow in most soil types except sandy soil and does not require irrigation to survive. It prefers open and sunny habitats but can be found in mid-shaded habitats[1]. This species is sometimes grown near Pistacia vera, the pistachio, as a pollinator[3]. Any pruning that needs to be done is best carried out in the spring[4]. Plants are prone to fungal root rots[2]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 16 hours in alkalized water[5], or for 3 - 4 days in warm water[6], and sow late winter in a cold frame or greenhouse[5, 7]. Two months cold stratification may speed up germination, so it might be better to sow the seed in early winter[7]. The germination is variable and can be slow. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow on the plants for at least their first winter in a greenhouse. Plant out into their permanent positions in early summer and consider giving some protection from winter cold for their first year or two outdoors[PFAF]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood from juvenile trees, July in a frame[7]. Layering. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Pistacia+atlantica>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  4. [4]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  5. [5]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  6. [6]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  7. [7]The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. — Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. · Athens Ga. Varsity Press · 1987 · ISBN 0942375009 ↩︎A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.
  8. [8]Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Pistacia L. (Anacardiaceae) — AL-Saghir M.G. & Porter D.M. · 2012 · http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ajps.2012.31002 ↩︎
  9. [9]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
  10. [10]Flora of Turkey. — Davis. P. H. · Edinburgh University Press · 1965 · ISBN - ↩︎Not for the casual reader, this is an immense work in many volumes. Some details of plant uses and habitats.
  11. [11]A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. — Usher. G. · Constable · 1974 · ISBN 0094579202 ↩︎Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
  12. [12]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  13. [13]Five Pistacia species (P. vera, P. atlantica, P. terebinthus, P. khinjuk, and P. lentiscus): A Review of Their Tradi — Bozorgi M. et al · 2013 · http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/219815 ↩︎A very comprehensive review of the traditional uses and modern medicinal research into five species of Pistacia growing in Iran
  14. [14]The Book of Edible Nuts. — Rosengarten. jnr. F. · Walker & Co. · 1984 · ISBN 0802707699 ↩︎A very readable and comprehensive guide. Well illustrated.
  15. [15]Vegetable Tannins — Rottsieper. E.H.W. · The Forestal Land, Timber and Railways Co. Ltd. · 1946 · ISBN - ↩︎A fairly detailed treatise on the major sources of vegetable tannins.
  16. [16]A Manual of Indian Timbers. — Gamble. J. S. · Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh · 1972 · ISBN - ↩︎First written in the 19th century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.
  17. [17]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  18. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎