Mastic Tree
Pistacia lentiscus
ShrubClimax
Production
A bomb-proof evergreen shrub for hot, dry, exposed edges — it clips into hedges, resprouts after fire and yields fragrant mastic resin. Slow but nearly unkillable.
Tolerances & traits
- Strata
- Shrub
- Lifecycle
- Climax
- Soil preference
- Rocky, Sandy
- Soil pH range
- 6 – 8.5
- Min. temperature
- -7°C
- Min. rainfall
- 350 mm/year
- Wind tolerance
- High
- Frost tolerance
- Medium
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Irrigation needed
- Low
How to manage it
Tough evergreen shrub for windbreaks, hedges and understory edges; cuts and resprouts strongly, including after fire. Light irrigation speeds early establishment but is not needed once mature.
Watch out for
Slow to establish and can suffer leaf/stem damage below about -7C when young; dioecious, so only female plants bear the resin-tapped fruit/mastic and a male nearby helps fruiting.
Design your line to see how your land fits Mastic Tree.
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