ANACARDIACEAE - - Cashew Family

Pistacia chinensis Bunge — Chinese Pistache

Chinese Pistache (Pistacia chinensis) - is a small to medium-sized tree in the genus Pistacia in the cashew family Anacardiaceae, native to central and western China. This species is planted as a street tree in temperate areas worldwide due to its attractive fruit and autumn foliage. It is hardy, can withstand harsh conditions and poor quality soils, and grows up to 20 m. (66 ft). The leaves are deciduous, alternate, pinnate, 20–25 cm long, with 10 to 14 leaflets, the terminal leaflet usually absent. The flowers are produced in panicles 15–20 cm (5.9–7.9 in) long at the ends of the branches; it is dioecious, with separate male and female plants. The fruit is a small red drupe, turning blue when ripe, containing a single seed.

Habitat:

Uncommonly planted, rarely persistent or naturalizing; native of China, the Philippines, and Taiwan.

Habitat information from:
Weakley, Alan S., Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States, Working Draft of 21 May 2015.

The range of Pistacia chinensis (Chinese Pistachio)

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. North American Plant Atlas. (http://bonap.net/napa). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)].