Chinese pistache
Pistacia chinensis
  • FAMILY: ANACARDIACEAE
  • ALTERNATE COMMON NAME:
  • LEAVES: deciduous; alternate, even-pinnately compound; 10 to 12 leaflets with entire margin;leaflets lanceolate, sub-opposite; autumn color: red or orange
  • FLOWER: Dioecious, red to green; female flowers in loose cluster, appearing before leaves in the spring; male flowers in tight cluster
  • FRUIT: often referred to as a "pistachio nut," but actually oval or round in shape; red, and later blue drupe; ripens in early falll
  • TWIGS: stout; gray-brown; light-colored lenticels; large terminal buds; solid white pith; leaf scars large and shield-shaped
  • BARK: fissure; turning salmon or reddish brown; furrowed
  • FORM: small tree; up to 35 feet; symmetrical
  • HABITAT: 
  • WETLAND DESIGNATION:
  • RANGE: not native; common to U.S. coastal zone; planted widely in urban settings; not invasive
  • USES: ornamental; fruit does not attract wildlife
  • Best Recognition Features:
    1. sumac-like appearance
    2. salmon-colored bark
    3. dense seed heads