Pistacia

Abstract

The genus Pistacia belongs to the Anacardiaceae. All the species of the genus are dioecious and wind-pollinated. Most species are distributed in the Mediterranean and Central Asia, but there are some also in eastern Asia and in North and Central America. The pistachio (P. vera) is the only commercially important species in the genus Pistacia and the only one that has been domesticated. The rest of the species are mostly used as rootstocks and, in some cases, for fruit consumption, oil extraction, or as a source of food for domestic animals in rural areas of different countries. Here, we review the different species of the genus, paying attention to the advances obtained in the application of molecular tools for breeding and diversity studies.