Pistacia
Content
Description
Trees or shrubs.
Leaves spiral, imparipinnate, pseudo-paripinnate, or paripin-nate, (rarely 3- or uni-foliolate in extra-Mal. spp.), petioled.
Inflorescences axillary and/or terminal, racemose and/or paniculate.
Flowers unisexual (plants dioecious).
Stamens 3-5 in ♂ 0 in ♀;
Ovary subglobose, 1-celled;
Seed with testa free from the endocarp;
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia present); Philippines (Philippines present), Canary Is present, North America present, Northern America: Texas (Texas present), Southern America, U.S.A present, W., S. & E. Asia present, the Mediterranean region present
Species c. 9, disjunctly distributed in the Mediterranean region, Canary Is., W., S. & E. Asia, North America (Texas, U.S.A.), and Central America (Mexico); 2 spp. in Malesia: Malay Peninsula and Philippines.
Notes
The perianth in this genus is unique in the family, consisting only of free, thin and narrow segments which could either be named tepals or calyx lobes. Some botanists suggested that they are of brac-teal nature and that the flowers would properly be naked, e.g. H. F. COPELAND (). In the ♂ flowers they alternate with the stamens which rather defeats this idea.
Recently GRUNDWAG () published observations on embryology and fruit development in 4 spp.
Recently GRUNDWAG () published observations on embryology and fruit development in 4 spp.