Leaf
Laura Morelli, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Mastic tree
Pistacia lentiscus L.
Also known as: Mastic, Lentisk
Family: Anacardiaceae
1 to 3 m, exceptionally up to 5 m
Garrigue, maquis and dry, rocky soils of the French Mediterranean coast (Provence, Corsica, Languedoc)
Flowering: March - May
Full sun
Not very hardy, to -10°C or so, dislikes prolonged frosts
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its fragrant resin, mastic, harvested since Antiquity on the Greek island of Chios, was long worth more than silver.
🍃 Leaves
Evergreen, paripinnate compound (without a terminal leaflet, unlike terebinth), glossy, leathery, giving off a resinous smell when crushed
🌸 Flowers
Tiny, reddish, petal-less, grouped in small clusters in the leaf axils; dioecious plant (separate male and female plants)
🍎 Fruits
Small globular drupes 4-5 mm across, red then black at maturity
🪵 Bark
Greyish, crossed by resin canals from which mastic resin is extracted
🗺️ Distribution
Throughout the Mediterranean region; in France, typical of the garrigue and coastal maquis
🐝 Value for pollinators
Mostly wind-pollinated, but a few insects visit the pollen-rich male flowers
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted in dry Mediterranean gardens for its drought hardiness; its resin (Chios mastic) is used in chewing gum, pastry-making and varnish
🌿 Other Anacardiaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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