PISTACHIO NUT TREE Fruit Red Flowers 5 Seeds 

SCIENTIFIC NAME:  Pistacia Vera
COLOR:  Red Flowers / Yellow - Red Pistachios
PLANT SEEDS:  Fall sow seeds or cold stratify
BLOOM TIME:  Spring
HARVEST:  Fall
HARDINESS ZONE:  7 - 11
PLANT HEIGHT:  20 - 30'
PLANT SPACING:  20'
LIGHT :  Sun
 WATER :  Average - Dry
QUANTITY:  5 Seeds
  The Pistachio Tree is the source of the incredibly popular edible Pistachio Nut. Pistacia Vera is native to parts of Asia & the Middle East, but is now grown commercially in many parts of the world. The trees are slow growing, & typically only reach 20' at most in cultivation. This desert plant tolerates drought well, & enjoys hot sunny conditions.

The beautiful spring flower clusters turn to showy clusters of fruit. The hard shelled seeds of the fruit are pistachios, & they can be eaten raw or cooked. Add them to salads, in soups & stir fries, with fish or poultry dishes, countless deserts, or as an ice cream topping :)

From Wikipedia:  The seed, commonly thought of as a nut, is a culinary nut, not a botanical nut. The fruit has a hard, creamish exterior shell. The seed has a mauvish skin and light green flesh, with a distinctive flavor. When the fruit ripens, the shell changes from green to an autumnal yellow/red, and abruptly splits part way open.

So, the nuts naturally open when they are mature, & this is when they should be harvested. The plants are dioecious, so both male & female plants are needed for pollination. The trees are very showy with beautiful red buds & flowers, as well as the many color changing fruit that has lovely shades.