Chinese Pistache

The Chinese Pistache
The tree that I chose to do for my “Adopt-A-Plant” is the “Chinese Pistache.” The Chinese Pistache also has a scientific name, known as the “Pistacia chinesis.” It is classified under the family known as “Anacardiaceae.” (Gilman) The genus was classified by Linnaeus, naming it from the ancient Persian word for nuts, pista. This tree is a medium to large sized tree, with dark green leaves and foliage with intense, red fruit that will eventually ripen to dark blue once the season comes. Interestingly enough, because of the amount of shade produced by the foliage above the ground and small trunk of the tree itself, it makes this tree a very nice shade tree just to sit under and relax. This tree is very capable of reaching nearly sixty feet in height and to an almost ridiculous thirty-five foot diameter of the foliage above. (Gilman) The branches form a slight vase-shape which is most commonly found during the winter season rather than any other season, however it is still evident during other times of the year. (Gilman) As University of Florida professor Edward F. Gilman had observed, “Older, more mature trees become more dense and uniformly-shaped. Young trees are asymmetrical and a bit awkward-looking unless properly pruned in the nursery. For this reason, it has not been widely planted but should be due its adaptability to urban soils.”
The origin of the Chinese Pistache is not from America, but rather from China and Taiwan. (Tree New Mexico) These Chinese Pistache trees are very closely related to a type of deciduous sumacs, known as the Rhus species. As the tree traveled from China and Taiwan, where it braved very cold winters and developed a tolerance to not only to extremely cold conditions, but as well as morphed to have a higher than average level of drought, heat, and wind tolerance. (Tree New Mexico) The life cycle of the plant is very simple, however, because of its adept sense to draught and heat, along with the strong...