Pistacia vera Pistacio
Family
Anacardiaceae
Genus
Pistacia
Species
vera
The pistachio (/pɪˈstɑːʃiˌoʊ, -ˈstæ-/, Pistacia vera), a member of the cashew
family, is a small tree originating from Central Asia and the Middle East. The tree
produces seeds that are widely consumed as food. Pistacia vera often is confused with
other species in the genus Pistacia that are also known as pistachio. These other
species can be distinguished by their geographic distributions (in the wild) and their
seeds which are much smaller and have a soft shell.