| Chinese Pistache | ||||||||||||||
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 Pistacia chinensis with autumn colour | ||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Pistacia chinensis L. | ||||||||||||||
Chinese Pistache (Pistacia chinensis) is a small to medium-sized tree native to central and western China. It is hardy and can withstand harsh conditions as well as poor quality soil.
It grows from 9-15 m tall, exceptionally up to 25 m. The leaves are deciduous, pinnate, 20-25 cm long, with 10 or 12 leaflets, the terminal leaflet usually (but not invariably) absent. The flowers are produced in panicles 15-20 cm long at the ends of the branches; it is dioecious, with separate male and female plants. The fruit is a small red drupe containing a single seed. Chinese Pistache grows best in full sun, being intolerant of shade; it is the most frost-tolerant species of Pistacia, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°C.