''Pistacia chinensis'', the Chinese pistache (), is a small to medium-sized tree in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Pistacia ''Pistacia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae. It contains 10 to 20 species that are native to Africa and Eurasia from the Canary Islands, all of Africa, and southern Europe, warm and semidesert areas across Asia ...

'' in the cashew family

Anacardiaceae The Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the cashew family or sumac family, are a family of flowering plants, including about 83 genera with about 860 known species. Members of the Anacardiaceae bear fruits that are drupes and in some cases produce ...

, native to central and western

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. This species is planted as a street tree in temperate areas worldwide due to its attractive fruit and autumn foliage.

Description

Pistacia_chinensis_(Anacardiaceae)_(tree)

It is hardy, can withstand harsh conditions and poor quality soils, and grows up to . The leaves are

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

, alternate,

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

, 20–25 cm long, with 10 or 12 leaflets, the terminal leaflet usually absent. The flowers are produced in

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

s long at the ends of the branches; it is

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

, with separate male and female plants. The fruit is a small red

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...

, turning blue when ripe, containing a single

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

Taxonomy

Synonyms include: ''Pistacia formosana'' Matsumura; ''P. philippinensis'' Merrill & Rolfe; ''Rhus argyi'' H. Léveillé; ''R. gummifera'' H. Léveillé. Some botanists merge '' Pistacia integerrima'' into this species as the subspecies ''P. chinensis'' ssp. ''integerrima,'' with the plants considered here then becoming the subspecies ''P. chinensis'' ssp. ''chinensis.''

Distribution and habitat

Its native range is on hill and mountain forests on rocky soils at above sea level. It is found in

Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

(excluding the far north and the far west) and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

Ecology

Chinese pistache grows best in full sun, being intolerant of shade; it is the most frost-tolerant species of ''

'', tolerating temperatures down to about -25 °C, yet it is most highly regarded in warm climates. It is planted for its impressive fall colors, which develop at least as far south as

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

. In the low-elevation deserts of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, it is the only tree whose leaves turn scarlet in fall.

Uses

It is a popular choice for street trees in urban settings because it is very drought tolerant and can survive harsh environments. It is also used as an understock for ''

Pistacia vera The pistachio (, ''Pistacia vera''), a member of the cashew family, is a small tree originating from Central Asia and the Middle East. The tree produces seeds that are widely consumed as food. ''Pistacia vera'' is often confused with other spe ...

''. In China, the oil from the seeds is used for biodiesel production. The wood is used for production of furniture, and yields a yellow dye. It is also used in classical

Chinese garden The Chinese garden is a landscape garden style which has evolved over three thousand years. It includes both the vast gardens of the Chinese emperors and members of the imperial family, built for pleasure and to impress, and the more intimate ...

design.

Gallery

File:黃連木 Pistacia chinensis 20210320101416 04.jpg, The young leaves are edible and can be used in tea manufacturing. File:黃連木 Pistacia chinensis 20210320101416 10.jpg, Lobular opposite or nearly opposite File:黃連木 Pistacia chinensis 20210320101416 29.jpg, The fruit turns blue when ripe. File:黃連木 Pistacia chinensis 20210320101416 23.jpg, Tree and street trees File:黃連木 Pistacia chinensis 20210320101416 16.jpg, The bark peels off in a scaly shape. File:黃連木 Pistacia chinensis 20210320101416 31.jpg, Branches and leaves