Anacardiaceae FAMILY Near Threatened

Pistacia vera

Edibility

4/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Pistacia vera is a deciduous tree that usually grows 1 - 5 metres tall, but can reach 10 metres[ 1636 Title Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Pistacia L. (Anacardiaceae) Publication American Journal of Plant Sciences, 2012 , 3 , 12-32 Author AL-Saghir M.G. & Porter D.M. Website http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ajps.2012.31002 Publisher Year 2012 ISBN Description ].. The pistachio nut is harvested from the wild and is also often cultivated, especially in western Asia for its edible seed, which is traded internationally[ 183 Title Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Publication Author Facciola. S. Publisher Kampong Publications Year 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 Description 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. ]. Pistacia vera is threatened in the wild by fruit collection, livestock grazing and cutting. The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2007)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate

Native RangeCentral and western Asia - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, northeastern Iran, northern Afghanistan

HabitatHilly and mountainous regions, especially on sandstone soils, with a temperature range from -10°c in the winter to 40°c in the summer, to 1500 metres[ 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. ]