Pistacia vera

The common pistachio is a member of the cashew or Anacardiaceae family, which includes the smoketree (Cotinus) and sumac (Rhus) genera. It is a small tree native to Central Asia and the Middle East and is grown for its edible seeds.

• It is a desert plant, requiring long, hot summers, growing well in parts of California.
• Harvesting is often done using a machine to shake the drupes off the tree, catching them in a bin and then transporting them to be processed.
• Over 75% of the world's pistachios are grown in Iran and in the United States (mainly California).