FRUITS AND NUTS 141 



PISTACHIO NUT 



The Pistachio nut (Pistacia vera) is a native of Syria, the 

 Canaries, and Mexico. It is also widely cultivated in various 

 parts of the Tropics, particularly India, and has been grown 

 with success in California, Florida, and other Southern States. 

 The tree reaches a height of 20 feet. The leaves are alternate 

 and trifoliate and the small flowers are borne in panicles. The 

 nut is about I inch in length and is composed of a brittle shell 

 and a greenish kernel of delicious almondlike flavor. It is 

 extensively used in desserts and confectionery. In Syria, 

 Mesopotamia, and Asia Minor, the tree grows up to an alti- 

 tude of 3,000 feet. Perhaps the most extensive plantations 

 of pistachio nut are in Persia, Syria, and Palestine. The tree 

 yields a resin resembling the mastic resin of Pistacia lentiscus. 

 Large quantities of pistachio nuts are shipped from Afghanis- 

 tan to India, where they are used as a regular article of food, 

 being fried in butter. As already indicated, the pistachio nut 

 is used in confectionery and ice cream. The nut contains about 

 60 per cent, of oil, which is sometimes used in medicine. 



QUEENSLAND NUT 



The Queensland nut is a tree of medium size, native of 

 Australia, and known to botanists as Macadamia ternifolia. 

 The tree attains a height of 20 to 50 feet and bears dark green 

 shiny leaves with spines along the edge like those of the holly 

 leaf. The tree is propagated by seed. The nuts are l /2 inch 

 in diameter, nearly spherical, and of excellent flavor, but the 

 shell is tough and hard to crack. The Queensland nut grows at 

 elevations up to 2,000 feet and likes a fairly heavy rainfall. 

 The nut contains 19 per cent, protein and 66 per cent. fat. 



