The pistachio tree (Pistacia vera) or simply pistachio is a species of plant within the sumac family (Anacardiaceae). To distinguish it from the other species of the pistachio genus (Pistacia), it is more precisely called the real pistachio and its stone fruit pistachio.
The deciduous pistachio grows as a tree or as a shrub and reaches heights of up to 12 meters and lives to be over 300 years old. In culture, however, it is kept significantly smaller. The roots can extend to a depth of 15 meters.