Pistacia atlantica
Encyclopedia
Pistacia atlantica is a species of pistachio tree
known by the English
common name Mt. Atlas mastic tree and as the Persian turpentine tree. In Iran
it is called baneh. In the Canary Islands is known as Almacigo. Betoum is called in Arabic.
, terebinth, and mastic. The Pistacia genus ranging from shrubs to trees adapted to drought and the Mediterranean climate.
It is stronger than Pistacia terebinthus by which it is used as rootstock in Ukraine and the United States for growing Pistacia vera, but resisting worst the frost that Pistacia terebinthus.
It is important its value against soil erosion. It strengthens the soil, is used for afforestation of arid and steep slopes and against landslides. It is a typical urban street trees in the Black Sea cities. In addition, Pistacia atlantica communities are a great refuge of rare species including many rare endemic in the Mediterranean.
The seeds, like pistachio, are edible oil seeds, such as nuts, and contain up to 60% fat. Candy made with Pistacia atlantica in Turkish are called tsukpi pistachio. Sometimes, the immature fruit is harvested and eaten with sour milk. The plant contains a rubber, used as chewing gum in Kevan, Turkey, where it is called kevove rubber tree.
The resin is used to manufacture alcohol and lacquer. Contains essential oils used in perfume industry. The leaves are rich in tannins, up to 20% in the galls caused by an aphid parasite. Are the raw material for tanning in the leather industry. The sap is dried and used as incense, and its combustion gives a pleasant smell, is used to give the local environment, celebrations and religious ceremonies known as "incense".
tree growing up to 7 m (23 ft) tall with branches spreading and growing erect to form a dense crown. The trunk is stout and covered in fissured bark. Old trees may have trunks measuring 2 m (6.6 ft) in diameter; it may take 200 years for a tree to reach 1 m (3.3 ft) wide. The leaves are pinnate, each with 7 to 9 lance-shaped leaflets.
The leaves and branches often have gall
s when the tree is infested with gall-producing species of aphid
s, including Pemphigus utricularis, Slavum wertheimae, and Forda riccobonii.
The tree is dioecious
with male and female trees producing different types of flowers. Both types are small and greenish and fall away quickly. Monoecious and hermaphrodite trees have been seen but are unusual. The oblong, fleshy, oily fruit borne by the female tree is 6 millimetre long and pink in color, ripening blue.
A tree that can reach 8 to 12 m tall, similar to ash
or carob, the trunk diameter reaches 1 m at the two hundred years. It grow slowly reaching 1000 years old. His treetop is thick and tangled, it have broken bark with ashen gray color. Older branches have the same design, fractured and ash color, which gives the tree looked very old. Leaves oval, almost sessile, shining above, dark green, 7-9 leaflets, imparipinnate with petiole
s a little winged, flowers in racemes lax, the male and female on different trees. The flowers are unisexual, small, discreet green, thick as pea fruit, then changing to reddish blue.
In colder areas the leaves in May check and fall in November.
Dioecious plants, in some communities dominate the female specimens. It grows in oak woodlands and oak sclerophyllous. The fruits ripen from July to October, starting to bear fruit at the age of 8–10 years, abundant fruit in 2–3 years.
from the Iranian plateau
to North Africa
where it was once common. Because other trees were rare it was the only good source of wood
and was overharvested
, reducing its current distribution. It is a common tree in mountain forests in Iran, and it is "characteristic" of the landscape in parts of Algeria
outside the Sahara
n desert.
The Almacigo is a tree that extends from the North Africa and found in thermophilous forests, up to 600 m altitude. It is one of the few deciduous species native to the Canary archipelago.
It is native of Eurasia, the Iranian Plateau
, to northern Africa./ new_species / pistatl.htm'Pistacia atlantica Desf. FAO Fact Sheet It is a common tree in the forests of the mountains of Iran.
Also in the North of Sahara
, in the region of the dayas at the foot of Atlas Moroccan and Algerian Sahara, is rare in the solid Hoggar. Northwest Morocco and Canary Islands, where it is protected by the "Annex II of the Order of the regional legislation Flora of the Canary Islands." Is found in all the Canary Islands under La Palma and El Hierro. In Gran Canaria form monospecific thickets in several western cliffs of the island, where it tends to hold the funds and the wetter areas, among Agaete and San Nicolas de Tolentino.
, where it is managed
as a valuable forest tree. The resin
and fruit oil were historically used for a variety of medicinal purposes
. The resin, known in Iran as saqez, is still an important commodity.
The tannin
s from the galls were used for tanning
. The pistachio fruits are a food source in the area, but the more commonly cultivated pistachio tree Pistacia vera is more valuable for food production. The raw fruits of the wild pistachio are not favored as food and are said to taste like turpentine
. They are about 45% oil.
shadebearing
and drought tolerant
landscape tree in garden
s and park
s. In California
it is imported to use as rootstock
for cultivated pistachio trees (Pistacia vera). Both introductions
have led to its escape and current status as an occasional invasive species
in California.
Pistacia
Pistacia is a genus of flowering plants in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae. It contains ten to twenty species that are native to Africa and Eurasia from the Canary Islands, whole Africa, and southern Europe, warm and semi-desert areas across Asia, and also North America from Mexico to warm and...
known by the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
common name Mt. Atlas mastic tree and as the Persian turpentine tree. In Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
it is called baneh. In the Canary Islands is known as Almacigo. Betoum is called in Arabic.
Overview
It is a tree of the genus Pistacia. It is a member of the same genus as pistachioPistachio
The pistachio, Pistacia vera in the Anacardiaceae family, is a small tree originally from Persia , which now can also be found in regions of Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Sicily and possibly Afghanistan , as well as in the United States,...
, terebinth, and mastic. The Pistacia genus ranging from shrubs to trees adapted to drought and the Mediterranean climate.
It is stronger than Pistacia terebinthus by which it is used as rootstock in Ukraine and the United States for growing Pistacia vera, but resisting worst the frost that Pistacia terebinthus.
It is important its value against soil erosion. It strengthens the soil, is used for afforestation of arid and steep slopes and against landslides. It is a typical urban street trees in the Black Sea cities. In addition, Pistacia atlantica communities are a great refuge of rare species including many rare endemic in the Mediterranean.
The seeds, like pistachio, are edible oil seeds, such as nuts, and contain up to 60% fat. Candy made with Pistacia atlantica in Turkish are called tsukpi pistachio. Sometimes, the immature fruit is harvested and eaten with sour milk. The plant contains a rubber, used as chewing gum in Kevan, Turkey, where it is called kevove rubber tree.
The resin is used to manufacture alcohol and lacquer. Contains essential oils used in perfume industry. The leaves are rich in tannins, up to 20% in the galls caused by an aphid parasite. Are the raw material for tanning in the leather industry. The sap is dried and used as incense, and its combustion gives a pleasant smell, is used to give the local environment, celebrations and religious ceremonies known as "incense".
Description
Pistacia atlantica is a deciduousDeciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
tree growing up to 7 m (23 ft) tall with branches spreading and growing erect to form a dense crown. The trunk is stout and covered in fissured bark. Old trees may have trunks measuring 2 m (6.6 ft) in diameter; it may take 200 years for a tree to reach 1 m (3.3 ft) wide. The leaves are pinnate, each with 7 to 9 lance-shaped leaflets.
The leaves and branches often have gall
Gall
Galls or cecidia are outgrowths on the surface of lifeforms caused by invasion by other lifeforms, such as parasites or bacterial infection. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues and can be caused by various parasites, from fungi and bacteria, to insects and mites...
s when the tree is infested with gall-producing species of aphid
Aphid
Aphids, also known as plant lice and in Britain and the Commonwealth as greenflies, blackflies or whiteflies, are small sap sucking insects, and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants in temperate regions...
s, including Pemphigus utricularis, Slavum wertheimae, and Forda riccobonii.
The tree is dioecious
Dioecious
Dioecy is the property of a group of biological organisms that have males and females, but not members that have organs of both sexes at the same time. I.e., those whose individual members can usually produce only one type of gamete; each individual organism is thus distinctly female or male...
with male and female trees producing different types of flowers. Both types are small and greenish and fall away quickly. Monoecious and hermaphrodite trees have been seen but are unusual. The oblong, fleshy, oily fruit borne by the female tree is 6 millimetre long and pink in color, ripening blue.
A tree that can reach 8 to 12 m tall, similar to ash
Ash
- Products of fire, incineration or combustion :The solid remains of fires, such as:* Ash , the compounds that remain after a scientific sample is burned; commonly reported as a percentage on pet food labels...
or carob, the trunk diameter reaches 1 m at the two hundred years. It grow slowly reaching 1000 years old. His treetop is thick and tangled, it have broken bark with ashen gray color. Older branches have the same design, fractured and ash color, which gives the tree looked very old. Leaves oval, almost sessile, shining above, dark green, 7-9 leaflets, imparipinnate with petiole
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
s a little winged, flowers in racemes lax, the male and female on different trees. The flowers are unisexual, small, discreet green, thick as pea fruit, then changing to reddish blue.
In colder areas the leaves in May check and fall in November.
Dioecious plants, in some communities dominate the female specimens. It grows in oak woodlands and oak sclerophyllous. The fruits ripen from July to October, starting to bear fruit at the age of 8–10 years, abundant fruit in 2–3 years.
Distribution
It is native to a section of EurasiaEurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
from the Iranian plateau
Iranian plateau
The Iranian plateau, or Iranic plateau, is a geological formation in Southwest Asia. It is the part of the Eurasian Plate wedged between the Arabian and Indian plates, situated between the Zagros mountains to the west, the Caspian Sea and the Kopet Dag to the north, the Hormuz Strait and Persian...
to North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
where it was once common. Because other trees were rare it was the only good source of wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
and was overharvested
Overexploitation
Overexploitation, also called overharvesting, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Sustained overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource...
, reducing its current distribution. It is a common tree in mountain forests in Iran, and it is "characteristic" of the landscape in parts of Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
outside the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
n desert.
The Almacigo is a tree that extends from the North Africa and found in thermophilous forests, up to 600 m altitude. It is one of the few deciduous species native to the Canary archipelago.
It is native of Eurasia, the Iranian Plateau
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, to northern Africa./ new_species / pistatl.htm'Pistacia atlantica Desf. FAO Fact Sheet It is a common tree in the forests of the mountains of Iran.
Also in the North of Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
, in the region of the dayas at the foot of Atlas Moroccan and Algerian Sahara, is rare in the solid Hoggar. Northwest Morocco and Canary Islands, where it is protected by the "Annex II of the Order of the regional legislation Flora of the Canary Islands." Is found in all the Canary Islands under La Palma and El Hierro. In Gran Canaria form monospecific thickets in several western cliffs of the island, where it tends to hold the funds and the wetter areas, among Agaete and San Nicolas de Tolentino.
Uses
There are many uses for this plant. This wild pistachio is the most economically important tree in many parts of Iran, including the Zagros MountainsZagros Mountains
The Zagros Mountains are the largest mountain range in Iran and Iraq. With a total length of 1,500 km , from northwestern Iran, and roughly correlating with Iran's western border, the Zagros range spans the whole length of the western and southwestern Iranian plateau and ends at the Strait of...
, where it is managed
Forest management
200px|thumb|right|[[Sustainable development|Sustainable]] forest management carried out by [[Complejo Forestal y Maderero Panguipulli|Complejo Panguipulli]] has contributed to the preservation of the forested landscape around [[Neltume]], a sawmill town in Chile...
as a valuable forest tree. The resin
Resin
Resin in the most specific use of the term is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. Resins are valued for their chemical properties and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives, and food glazing agents; as an important source of raw materials...
and fruit oil were historically used for a variety of medicinal purposes
Herbalism
Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, herblore, and phytotherapy...
. The resin, known in Iran as saqez, is still an important commodity.
The tannin
Tannin
A tannin is an astringent, bitter plant polyphenolic compound that binds to and precipitates proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.The term tannin refers to the use of...
s from the galls were used for tanning
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
. The pistachio fruits are a food source in the area, but the more commonly cultivated pistachio tree Pistacia vera is more valuable for food production. The raw fruits of the wild pistachio are not favored as food and are said to taste like turpentine
Turpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
. They are about 45% oil.
Cultivation
Pistacia atlantica is planted as an ornamentalOrnamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
shadebearing
Shade tree
A shade tree is any tree grown specifically for its shade. This term usually applies to large trees with spreading canopies. Shade trees are effective in reducing the energy used in cooling homes....
and drought tolerant
Xeriscaping
Xeriscaping and xerogardening refers to landscaping and gardening in ways that reduce or eliminate the need for supplemental water from irrigation...
landscape tree in garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
s and park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
s. In California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
it is imported to use as rootstock
Rootstock
A rootstock is a plant, and sometimes just the stump, which already has an established, healthy root system, used for grafting a cutting or budding from another plant. The tree part being grafted onto the rootstock is usually called the scion...
for cultivated pistachio trees (Pistacia vera). Both introductions
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
have led to its escape and current status as an occasional invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
in California.