Pistacia chinensis   

Chinese Pistache

Family: Anacardiaceae
Zone: 6-9                                Average Size: 35’H x 25’W

Identification: 

-Compound leaf, odd pinnate, 5-6 pairs of leaflets, lustrous dark green
-Bark develops ridges, becoming gray scaly plates that flake exposing salmon-orange inner bark
-Clusters of fruit on female plants, a small drupe, red turning purple

Note:   An underused small tree in the South, but gainingpopularity for its outstanding autumn color and adaptability to urban conditions. The foliage proclaims the coming of autumn in brilliant yellows, oranges and reds. Autumn color is variable among seedlings. Specimens north of the War Memorial are yellow although large clusters of the red fruit contribute to the display. The Chinese Pistache is being used more as a street and parking lot species, but because of low branching and weak rooting that may require staking, considerable management may be required to establish trees used in this manner.

Campus Location: Parade Ground, north of War Memorial