Pistacia lentiscus L.

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Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Pistacia lentiscus' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/pistacia/pistacia-lentiscus/). Accessed 2025-03-16.

Family

Anacardiaceae

Genus

Pistacia

Common Names

Mastic

Other taxa in genus

Glossary

axillary: Situated in an axil.
glabrous: Lacking hairs smooth. glabrescent Becoming hairless.
hybrid: Plant originating from the cross-fertilisation of genetically distinct individuals (e.g. two species or two subspecies).
maquis: Tall Mediterranean drought-resistant shrubland.
imparipinnate: Odd-pinnate; (of a compound leaf) with a central rachis and an uneven number of leaflets due to the presence of a terminal leaflet. (Cf. paripinnate.)

References

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Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Pistacia lentiscus' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/pistacia/pistacia-lentiscus/). Accessed 2025-03-16.

Pistacia lentiscus flowering, and clearly showing the distinctive winged petiole. Pentadaktylos Mountains, above Kyrenia, North Cyprus. 17th March 2022. Image Tom Christian.

An evergreen bush or small tree, occasionally 15 or 20 ft high; young shoots warted, not downy. The leaves are evenly pinnate, consisting of four to ten leaflets without a terminal odd one; the common stalk is winged. Leaflets 3⁄4 to 11⁄2 in. long, 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 in. wide; narrowly oblong to obovate, glabrous, with a very short, abrupt point. Flowers very densely packed in short axillary panicles 1 to 2 in. long. Fruits first red, then black, about the size of large peppercorns.

P. lentiscus is one of the most characteristic members of the Mediterranean macchie (maquis), and is found wherever this occurs, both within the Mediterreanean basin and in Portugal and Atlantic Morocco; also in the Canaries. It was in cultivation by the second half of the 17th century as a pot- or tub-plant, placed outside in summer and overwintered under glass with the oranges and myrtles (Evelyn’s Calendar, under March). It is tender and needs the protection of a wall.

In the islands of the Greek Archipelago it produces by incision of the bark a resinous substance known as ‘mastic’, which is used locally for flavouring raki and is chewed to sweeten the breath. It is also used medicinally and as an ingredient in tooth-powder. The gum mastic tree of Chios is a cultivated race, sometimes distinguished as var. chia Duham.

From the Supplement (Vol. V)

† P. × saportae Burnat – A natural hybrid between P. lentiscus and P. terebinthus, occurring occasionally where the two species are in contact, originally described from Provence.

Pistacia lentiscus with well developed fruit. Pentadaktylos Mountains, above Kyrenia, North Cyprus. 17th March 2022. Image Tom Christian.

W.J. Bean rightly described Pistacia lentiscus as 'one of the most characteristic members of the Mediterranean maquis'. It appears in the bottom right of this image, in typical association with species such as Juniperus phoenecia (also pictured), Ceratonia siliqua, Olea europaea, Cistus spp. etc. SW Cyprus, 12th March 2022. Image Tom Christian.

Pistacia lentiscus in fruit (Orto Botanico di Lucca, Italy, September 2023). Image John Grimshaw.

Emerging foliage on Pistacia lentiscus, taken from a plant at the Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques de la ville de Genève, Switzerland (14 July 2020). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

Dark green, mature foliage on Pistacia lentiscus (Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques de la ville de Genève, Switzerland – 14 July 2020). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

Paripinnate leaves on Pistacia lentiscus (Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques de la ville de Genève, Switzerland – 14 July 2020). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

Reddish branchlet on Pistacia lentiscus (Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques de la ville de Genève, Switzerland – 14 July 2020). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

Winged rachis on Pistacia lentiscus (Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques de la ville de Genève, Switzerland – 14 July 2020). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

Leaflet lower surfaces with fine venation on Pistacia lentiscus (Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques de la ville de Genève, Switzerland – 14 July 2020). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

Equidistant veins on the leaflet upper surfaces of Pistacia lentiscus (Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques de la ville de Genève, Switzerland – 14 July 2020). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.