Pistacia

Genus of nine species of small trees of the cashew nut family Anacardiaceae. The genus is native to tropical and subtropical Asia, where its members have long been cultivated for a variety of uses. The pistachio-nut tree P. vera bears small oval nuts containing an edible green kernel, which is eaten fresh or roasted. The mastic tree P. lentiscus yields mastic, used in incense, tooth fillings, and varnish, and as a breath-freshener. The turpentine tree P. terebinthus yields Chian or Cyprus turpentine, which exudes from incisions made in the trunk.