Pistacia atlantica Desf.
Eng.: Atlas pistachio, Mt. Atlas mastic tree. Spa.: Almácigo. Fre.: Pistachier de l’Atlas, bétoum. Ara.: Betum, betum, btem, bettam; the fruit: haudja, khatiri, gatuf; the seed: habbet el khadra; the resin: alk el anebatt. Tam.: Iggt, idj, iqq, ighar; the fruit: gueddaïn; the gall: liez, illeg.
Tree, deciduous, dioecious, up to 10(15) m in height, but usually not exceeding 6 m, resembling Quercus ilex from afar by its globose-hemispherical crown and resembling Fraxinus excelsior at a close range for its foliage. Trunk well defined, straight, thick and short, sometimes somewhat tortuous, with a characteristic bark, fissured-flaky, greyish-brown. Young branches greyish. Leaves alternate, composed, imparipinnate; with 7-11 leaflets 2-6 × 0.6-1.5 cm, lanceolate, obtuse, not mucronate, with entire margin, slightly coriaceous, glabrous, deep green on the upper side and slightly lighter on the underside. Rachis with narrow wings, sometimes inconspicuous. Inflorescence with male flowers in racemes of cymes (thyrse), terminal, at the end of the branches of the previous year, and with female flowers in wide panicles, erect or ascending. Flowers very small and numerous, unisexual, with sepaloid bracteoles, yellow or reddish. Male flower with 2 linear-lanceolate bracts, puberulent and 1-3 bracteoles and 5 stamens. Female flower with 1 lanceolate bract and 2-4 bracteoles, with pistil ending in 3 stigmas. Fruit a subglobose drupe, up to 8 mm, slightly compressed, first greenish-yellow, then reddish and finally reddish-blue.
Flowering:
March to June.
Fruiting:
August to November.
Habitat:
Varied, from mountain forests to subhumid plains, desert areas, from sea level to 2,000 m in altitude. From arid to subhumid bioclimate, on inframediterranean to thermomediterranean floors. In the Algerian-Moroccan steppic plateaux and parts of the northern Sahara, especially in the most humid depressions, it is the dominant tree species, forming considerably extensive forests.
Distribution:
Canary Islands, Cyprus and North Africa. In the latter region it is distributed almost throughout the entire Mediterranean area and northern continental Sahara, from Morocco to Libya. In the Ahaggar Massif (central Sahara) and around Saguia el Hamra (western Sahara) this species still forms small vestigial forests along dry riverbeds. Also present in the region of the Sinai Peninsula (Egypt).
Observations:
It is a standard well reputed pistachio rootstock, because of its great vigour and rusticity, and its wood, stems, leaves and fruits have other local uses as well. The pistachio (P. vera L.) has been traditionally cultivated or recently introduced in most countries in North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt), becoming subspontaneous at least in Algeria (Quézel & Santa, 1963).
Conservation status:
Common and widespread species. In the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, it is listed as Near Threatened (NT) at global level. In Algeria it is included in the List of protected non cultivated flora (Executive Decree 12-03 on 4-Jan-2012). In Tunisia it is included in its List of native species that are rare and threatened with extinction (Order of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, 19-July-2006). In the Red List of vascular plants of Egypt (Flora Aegyptiaca Vol 1, 2000) it is listed as “Endangered”.