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Pistacia atlantica - Desf.

Betoum

Author	Desf.	Botanical references	11, 50, 200
Family	Pistaciaceae	Genus	Pistacia
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	S. Europe to N. Africa.
Habitat	Dry hillsides, cemeteries, field edges and roadsides from sea level to 1500 metres in Turkey[93].
Edibility Rating	2 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious Tree growing to 20m.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Secondary; Sunny Edge;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit.

Edible Uses: Oil.

Fruit - raw[61, 177]. A turpentine flavour[183]. The fruit is about 8mm long and 6mm wide and contains a single seed[200]. An excellent edible oil is obtained from the seed[183].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Antiseptic.

Antiseptic[93].

Other Uses

Dye; Gum; Ink; Resin; Rootstock; Tannin; Wood.

Used as a rootstock for P. vera, the pistachio nut[183]. A resin is obtained from the tree[117]. No more details. A gum is obtained from the tree. It is used medicinally[93]. It is possible that the gum and the resin are the same thing[K]. Tannin is obtained from galls that develop on the tree as a result of a fungus. It is used to make an ink and a dye[61]. The leaves contain 22.2% tannin[223]. The wood is useful[46].

Cultivation details

Requires a sunny position in a deep well-drained light soil[200]. Succeeds in dry soils. This species is not very cold-hardy in Britain[1], though it can succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of the country. This plant is sometimes grown near P. vera, the pistachio, as a pollinator[183]. Any pruning that needs to be done is best carried out in the spring[238]. Plants are prone to fungal root rots[200]. Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 16 hours in alkalized water[78], or for 3 - 4 days in warm water[1], and sow late winter in a cold frame or greenhouse[78, 113]. Two months cold stratification may speed up germination, so it might be better to sow the seed in early winter[113]. The germination is variable and can be slow. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow on the plants for at least their first winter in a greenhouse. Plant out into their permanent positions in early summer and consider giving some protection from winter cold for their first year or two outdoors[K]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood from juvenile trees, July in a frame[113]. Layering.

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[93] Davis. P. H. Flora of Turkey. Edinburgh University Press 1965
Not for the casual reader, this is an immense work in many volumes. Some details of plant uses and habitats.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[117] Rosengarten. jnr. F. The Book of Edible Nuts. Walker & Co. 1984 ISBN 0802707699
A very readable and comprehensive guide. Well illustrated.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[223] Rottsieper. E.H.W. Vegetable Tannins The Forestal Land, Timber and Railways Co. Ltd. 1946
A fairly detailed treatise on the major sources of vegetable tannins.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Pistacia atlantica

Hassan Maddah Arefi(H.M.Arefi) Wed Apr 12 2006

Dear Sir/Madam I am working with Pistacia atlantica in its genetics and breeding.So far I have found that combining ability of male and female trees for studied characteristics are different. Production of seedling and trees depends upon the crossing parental plants. Oil production ranging from 19% to 39% of total seed weight and more than 50% in exocarp of the fruits in crossed plants. Today I was searching different sites to find out the methods of pollination of the Pistacia atlantica in large scale and reach to your good and usefull information. It is very nice but very short. Perhaps you want to give a brief and vary information which are also usefull and having style. I hope you you are successful in your work. Thanks Arefi

Pistacia atlantica

Yigal Granot Mon Aug 14 2006

14/8/2006 Dear Sir! There is a mistake in your site about the Pistacia atlantica/ In the genera Pistacia all the galls are made by Aphids and not by fungus Yours Yigal Granot

Pistacia atlantica

benhassaini Sun Jan 6 2008

Bnehassaini Hachemi january 2008 Dear Sir! There is a mistake in your site about the Pistacia atlantica/ In the genera we found Pistacia atlantica in North africa but neither in S.Europe. Best regards

Pistacia atlantica

Ken Fern, Plants for a Future Tue Jan 8 2008

According to the Flora Europaea, Pistacia atlantica is found in Greece and the European part of Turkey.

Pistacia atlantica

Mon Jul 28 2008

Dear Ken, You can see many examples of Pistacia Atlantica growing along the shores of both the Agean and western Mediterranean coasts of Turkey. It also grows along the coast of the Marmara Sea and in Ýstanbul.

Pistacia atlantica

Volkan Yalazay Tue Jul 29 2008

Daer all, Pistacia Atlantica ca be found growing along the Agean and Western Mediterranean coasts aswell as along the Marmara coast of Istanbul.

Pistacia atlantica

Tue Sep 16 2008

Dear Sir, Pistacia atlantica is found as well in the island of Cyprus from the ancient times. The oldest tree of Cyprus is an Pistacia atlantica 1500 years old, in the village of Apaisia. Also an ancient city in Cyprus with a temple of Venus was called Tremithounta (Ôñåìéèïýíôá in Greek) from the Greek name of Pistacia atlantica.

Pistacia atlantica

ABDOUS ouarda Sun Oct 19 2008

arcitecteure racinnaire du Pistacia atlantica

Pistacia atlantica

eng.Maha owies Tue Mar 3 2009

Dear Sir/Madam I am working with Pistacia atlantica in Propagation of Pistacia Atlantica by Cutting Using Indol Butryic Acid (IBA)”but my result's are zero I need information which are also usefull and having style. Thanks you.

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