Growth form
Tree of dry woodland and foothills.
DRY WOODLAND · BOTANICAL PROFILE
Wild pistachio
Pistacia atlantica · بنه
Near ThreatenedNative to IranDryland tree
A drought-tolerant tree of open woodland and foothill country, holding shade, structure and food where denser forest gives way to steppe.
Ecology.
Wild pistachio grows across dry subtropical landscapes extending through Iran and a much wider region. In open woodland it adds long-lived woody structure to slopes that may otherwise appear sparse.
Range
Native across a broad belt that includes Iran.
Landscape role
Adds shade, food and structural complexity to dry country.
Archive meaning.
The tree helps Persian Wilds resist a false forest/desert binary. Between dense canopy and open desert lies a huge world of sparse woodland, scrub and steppe.
Field note
Kew currently accepts Pistacia atlantica as a distinct species and records it as native to Iran; the IUCN category surfaced through Kew is Near Threatened.
Artwork note
The image on this page is an interpretive habitat or archive plate, not a diagnostic specimen photograph.
Verification
Taxonomy and conservation claims follow the archive's specialist-source hierarchy and should be read with the dated source record.