Editing Pistacia lentiscus

{{short description|Species of flowering plants in the sumac family Anacardiaceae}}
{{Other uses|Mastic (disambiguation)}}
{{italic title}}
{{speciesbox
|name =
|status = LC
|status_system = IUCN3.1
|status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |author1=Rhodes, L. |author2=Maxted, N. |title=''Pistacia lentiscus'' |page=e.T202960A47600695 |year=2016 |access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref>
|image = Pistacia lentiscus.jpg
|image_caption = Mastic foliage and male flowers
|genus = Pistacia
|species = lentiscus
|authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
|range_map = Pistacia lentiscus range.svg
|range_map_caption = Distribution
}}

'''''Pistacia lentiscus''''' (also '''lentisk''' or '''mastic''') is a [[dioecious]] evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus ''[[Pistacia]]'' native to the [[Mediterranean Basin]]. It grows up to {{convert|4|m|abbr=on}} tall and is [[Agriculture|cultivate]]d for its [[Mastic (plant resin)|aromatic resin]], mainly on the [[Greece|Greek]] island of [[Chios]], around the [[Turkish language|Turkish]] town of [[Çeşme]]<ref name=":0">[http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/Mansfeld/Taxonomy/datenvoll.afp?module=mf&source=botnam&taxid=28380&akzanz=0&rehm=0 ''Pistacia lentiscus'' L.] 
{{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20070312142738/http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/Mansfeld/Taxonomy/datenvoll.afp?module=mf&source=botnam&taxid=28380&akzanz=0&rehm=0 |date=2007-03-12 }} at [http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/Mansfeld/ Mansfeld's Database Taxonomy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060928120911/http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/mansfeld/ |date=2006-09-28 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2020-08-03 |title=Sakız Ağaçlarına Sevgi Aşılıyoruz Projesi'nde yeni bir dönem başlıyor |url=http://www.tema.org.tr/web_14966-2_1/entitialfocus.aspx?primary_id=501&type=2&target=categorial1&detail=single&sp_table=&sp_primary=&sp_table_extra=&openfrom=sortial |access-date=2022-04-05 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803191803/http://www.tema.org.tr/web_14966-2_1/entitialfocus.aspx?primary_id=501&type=2&target=categorial1&detail=single&sp_table=&sp_primary=&sp_table_extra=&openfrom=sortial |archive-date=3 August 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and northern parts of Iraq.

== Description ==
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2011}}
[[File:Pistacia lentiscus 2 RF.jpg|thumb|Mastic leaves]]
The plant is evergreen, from {{convert|1|to|5|m|abbr=on}} high, with a strong smell of [[resin]], growing in dry and rocky areas in North Africa and [[Southern Europe|Mediterranean Europe]]. It resists mild to heavy frosts but prefers milder winters and grows on all types of soils, and can grow well in limestone areas and even in salty or saline environments, making it more abundant near the sea. It is also found in woodlands, [[dehesa]]s (almost deforested pasture areas), [[Kermes oak]] woods, wooded areas dominated by other oaks, garrigues, maquis shrublands, hills, gorges, canyons, and rocky hillsides of the entire Mediterranean area. It is a typical species of Mediterranean mixed communities which include [[Myrtaceae|myrtle]], Kermes oak, [[Chamaerops|Mediterranean dwarf palm]], [[buckthorn]] and [[Smilax aspera|sarsaparilla]], and serves as protection and food for birds and other fauna in this ecosystem. It is a very hardy pioneer species dispersed by birds. When older, it develops some large trunks and numerous thicker and longer branches. In appropriate areas, when allowed to grow freely and age, it often becomes a tree of up to {{convert|7|m|abbr=on}}. However, logging, grazing, and fires often prevent its development.

The leaves are alternate, leathery, and paripinnately compound (i.e., pinnately compound without terminal leaflet) with five or six pairs<ref>{{cite book|author1=Stephenson, J. |author2=Churchill, J.M. |year=1831 |title= Medical botany, or, Illustrations and descriptions of the medicinal plants of the London, Edinburgh, and Dublin pharmacopoeias: comprising a popular and scientific account of all those poisonous vegetables that are indigenous to Great Britain |publisher=J. Churchill|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V4MfAAAAYAAJ&q=pistacia+lentiscus+leaflets}}</ref> of deep-green leaflets. It presents very small flowers, the male with five [[stamen]]s, the female with a 3-part style. The fruit is a [[drupe]], first red and then black when ripe, about {{convert|4|mm|abbr=on}} in diameter. The fruit, although not commonly consumed, is edible and has a tart raisin-like flavour.

''Pistacia lentiscus'' is related to ''[[Pistacia terebinthus]]'', with which it hybridizes frequently in contact zones. ''Pistacia terebinthus'' is more abundant in the mountains and inland and the mastic is usually found more frequently in areas where the Mediterranean influence of the sea moderates the climate. The mastic tree does not reach the size of the ''Pistacia terebinthus'', but the hybrids are very difficult to distinguish. The mastic has winged stalks to its leaflets, i.e., the stalks are flattened and with side fins, whereas these stems in ''Pistacia terebinthus'' are simple. On the west coast of the Mediterranean, [[Canary Islands]] and [[Middle East]], it can be confused with ''[[Pistacia atlantica|P. atlantica]]''.

==Distribution==
''Pistacia lentiscus'' is native throughout the Mediterranean region, from Morocco and the [[Iberian Peninsula]] in the west through southern France and Turkey to Iraq and Iran in the east.  It is also native to the Canary Islands.<ref>{{GRIN | access-date = 15 December 2017}}</ref>

==Ornamental use==
In urban areas near the sea, where "palmitos" or Mediterranean dwarf palms grow, and other exotic plants, it is often used in gardens and resorts, because of its strength and attractive appearance. Unlike other species of ''[[Pistacia]]'', it retains its leaves throughout the year. It has been introduced as an ornamental shrub in [[Mexico]], where it has naturalized and is often seen primarily in suburban and semiarid areas where the summer rainfall climate, contrary to the Mediterranean, does not affect it.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

==Resin==
{{main|Mastic (plant resin)}}

The aromatic, ivory-coloured resin, also known as [[Mastic (plant resin)|mastic]], is harvested as a spice from the cultivated mastic trees grown in the south of the Greek island of Chios in the Aegean Sea, where it is also known by the name "Chios tears". Originally liquid, it is hardened, when the weather turns cold, into drops or patties of hard, brittle, translucent resin. When chewed, the resin softens and becomes a bright white and [[Opacity (optics)|opaque]] [[Chewing gum|gum]].
The word mastic derives from the Latin word ''masticare'' (to chew), in Greek: μαστιχάω verb ''mastichein'' ("to gnash the teeth", the English word completely from the Latin [[Mastication|masticate]]) or ''massein'' ("to chew").<ref name="e-xios">[http://www.e-xios.gr/chios/4/41.html Mastic] at [http://www.e-xios.gr e-xios.gr Chios Portal]</ref>

In the Kurdish parts of Iraq, the dried resin is used to make rosaries.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU998YTM6fw | title=Photographer makes Qazwan rosaries in Kurdistan Region | website=[[YouTube]] | date=26 May 2021 }}</ref>

Within the European Union, [[Mastic (plant resin)|mastic]] production in [[Chios]] is granted [[protected designation of origin]] and [[protected designation of origin|protected geographical indication]] names.<ref name="EU PDO/PGI registration">{{Cite web |url=http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/qual/en/431_en.htm |title=EU PDO/PGI registration |access-date=2006-01-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060420100420/http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/qual/en/431_en.htm |archive-date=2006-04-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Although the tree is native to all of the Mediterranean region, it will release its resin only on selected places, most notably, around Cesme, Turkey and in the southern portion of the Greek island of Chios, the latter being the only place in the world where it is cultivated regularly.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The island's mastic production is controlled by a [[co-operative]] of "medieval" villages, collectively known as the '[[mastichochoria]]' (Μαστιχοχώρια, lit. "mastic villages").

===Cultivation history===
The resin is collected by bleeding the trees from small cuts made in the bark of the main branches, and allowing the sap to drip onto the specially prepared ground below. The harvesting is done during the summer between July and September. After the mastic is collected, it is washed manually and is set aside to dry, away from the sun, as it will start melting again.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mastic: Collection and Production Process of Mastic Gum |url=https://masticlife.com/pages/mastic-cultivation-harvest-production |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=Mastic Masticlife |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F95jAZtVmFE |title=Why Mastic Tree Resin Is So Expensive {{!}} So Expensive |date=2021-11-20 |last=Varricchio |first=Taryn |type=Video |publisher=Business Insider |access-date=2024-10-21 |via=YouTube}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

[[File:Pistacia lentiscus sp.jpg|left|thumb|Mastic shrub]]
Mastic resin is a relatively expensive kind of spice; it has been used principally as a chewing gum for at least 2,400 years.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2002_23_fri_04.shtml BBC - Radio 4 - Woman's Hour -Mastic<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The flavour can be described as a strong, slightly smoky, resiny aroma and can be an [[acquired taste]].

Some scholars<ref>Da'at Mikra, citing Y. Felix</ref> identify the ''bakha'' בכא mentioned in the Bible—as in the [[Valley of Baca]] ({{langx|he|עמק הבכא}}) of Psalm 84—with the mastic plant. The word ''bakha'' appears to be derived from the Hebrew word for crying or weeping, and is thought to refer to the "tears" of resin secreted by the mastic plant, along with a sad weeping noise which occurs when the plant is walked on and branches are broken.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}} The Valley of Baca is thought to be a valley near Jerusalem that was covered with low mastic shrubbery, much like some hillsides in northern Israel today.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}} In an additional biblical reference, King David receives divine counsel to place himself opposite the [[Philistines]] coming up the [[Valley of Rephaim]], southwest of Jerusalem, such that the "sound of walking on the tops of the ''bakha'' shrubs" (קול צעדה בראשי הבכאים) signals the moment to attack (II Samuel V: 22–24).

Mastic is known to have been popular in Roman times when children chewed it, and in medieval times, it was highly prized for the sultan's harem both as a breath freshener and for cosmetics.  It was the sultan's privilege to chew mastic, and it was considered to have healing properties.  The spice's use was widened when Chios became part of the [[Ottoman Empire]], and it remains popular in North Africa and the Near East. An unflattering reference to mastic-chewing was made in Shakespeare's ''Troilus and Cressida'' (published 1609) when Agamemnon dismisses the views of the cynic and satirist Thersites as graceless productions of "his mastic jaws".<ref>''Troilus and Cressida'' 1.3.525.</ref>

====Culinary use====
Mastic gum is principally used either as a flavouring or for its gum properties, as in mastic chewing gum.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

As a spice, it continues to be used in Greece to flavour spirits and liqueurs (such as Chios's native drink ''[[mastiha]]''), chewing gum, and a number of cakes, pastries, [[spoon sweets]], and desserts. Sometimes, it is even used in making cheese.<ref name="Epikouria">{{cite magazine|title=The Magic Tree — Marvelous Masticha|magazine=Epikouria Magazine|issue=1 Fall/Winter |date= 2005|author=Deborah Rothman Sherman|url=http://www.epikouria.com:80/issue1/the-magic-tree.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118020616/http://www.epikouria.com:80/issue1/the-magic-tree.php |archive-date=2008-01-18 }}</ref> Mastic resin is a key ingredient in ''[[dondurma]]'' and Turkish puddings, giving those confections their unusual texture and bright whiteness. In Lebanon and Egypt, the spice is used to flavour many dishes, ranging from soups to meats to desserts, while in Morocco, smoke from the resin is used to flavour water. In Turkey, mastic is used as a flavor of [[Turkish delight]].  Recently, a mastic-flavoured fizzy drink has also been launched, called "Mast".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://worldofmastic.wordpress.com/2016/11/14/its-a-mast/ |title=It's a "mast" |date=14 November 2016 }}</ref>

In the Kurdish parts of Iraq, the fresh resin is used as a spice particularly used for [[Torshi]].

Mastic resin is a key ingredient in Greek festival breads, for example, the sweet bread ''tsoureki'' and the traditional New Year's ''[[vasilopita]]''. Furthermore, mastic is also essential to ''[[Holy Chrism|myron]]'', the holy oil used for [[chrismation]] by the Orthodox Churches.<ref name=Epikouria/>

Mastic continues to be used for its gum and medicinal properties, as well as its culinary uses. Jordanian [[chewing gum]] manufacturer, Sharawi Bros., use the mastic of this shrub as a primary ingredient in their mastic-flavoured products and they distribute the gum to many [[Delicatessen|deli]] stores worldwide. The resin is used as a primary ingredient in the production of cosmetics such as toothpaste, lotions for the hair and skin, and perfumes.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}
[[File:mastic.jpg|left|thumb|Mastic resin]]

====Medicine====
People in the Mediterranean region have used mastic as a medicine for gastrointestinal ailments for several thousand years. First-century Greek physician and botanist [[Dioscorides]] wrote about the medicinal properties of mastic in his classic treatise ''De Materia Medica'' (''About Medical Substances''). Some centuries later, Markellos Empeirikos and Pavlos Eginitis<ref name="e-xios"/> also noticed the effect of mastic on the digestive system.

Mastic oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties, and as such is widely used in the preparation of ointments for skin disorders and afflictions. It is also used in the manufacture of plasters.<ref name=Epikouria/>

In recent years, university researchers have provided the scientific evidence for the medicinal properties of mastic. A 1985 study by the [[University of Thessaloniki]] and by the [[Meikai University]] discovered that mastic can reduce bacterial dental plaque in the mouth by 41.5%. A 1998 study by the [[University of Athens]] found that mastic oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties. Another 1998 University of Nottingham study claims that mastic can heal [[peptic ulcers]] by killing ''[[Helicobacter pylori]]'', which causes peptic ulcers, [[gastritis]], and [[duodenitis]]. Some ''in vivo'' studies have shown that mastic gum has no effect on ''H. pylori'' when taken for short periods of time.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Loughlin MF, Ala'Aldeen DA, Jenks PJ |title=Monotherapy with mastic does not eradicate ''Helicobacter pylori'' infection from mice |journal=J. Antimicrob. Chemother. |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=367–71 |date=February 2003 |pmid=12562704 |doi=10.1093/jac/dkg057 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Bebb JR, Bailey-Flitter N, Ala'Aldeen D, Atherton JC |title=Mastic gum has no effect on ''Helicobacter pylori'' load in vivo |journal=J. Antimicrob. Chemother. |volume=52 |issue=3 |pages=522–3 |date=September 2003 |pmid=12888582 |doi=10.1093/jac/dkg366 |doi-access=free }}</ref> However, a recent and more extensive study showed that mastic gum reduced ''H. pylori'' populations after an insoluble and sticky polymer (poly-β-myrcene) constituent of mastic gum was removed, and if taken for a longer period of time.<ref>{{cite journal  |vauthors=Paraschos S, Magiatis P, Mitakou S, etal |title=In vitro and in vivo activities of Chios mastic gum extracts and constituents against ''Helicobacter pylori'' |journal=Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=551–9 |date=February 2007 |pmid=17116667 |pmc=1797732 |doi=10.1128/AAC.00642-06 }}</ref>

<!-- A balm was created from the mastic tree resin for use by physicians in Biblical times..{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}
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====Miscellanea====
Apart from its medicinal properties and cosmetic and culinary uses, mastic gum is also used in the production of high-grade [[varnish]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pistacia {{!}} Description, Distribution, & Examples {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/plant/Pistacia |access-date=2024-03-02 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

The mastic tree has been introduced into [[Mexico]] as an [[ornamental plant]], where it is very prized and fully [[Naturalisation (biology)|naturalized]].  The trees are grown mainly in suburban areas in semiarid zones, and remain undamaged, although the summer rainfall is contrary to its original [[Mediterranean climate]].{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

A related species, ''P. saportae'', has been shown by DNA analysis <ref>{{cite journal | url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/6190/Yi_2008phylogenetics_and_reticulat.pdf | doi=10.3732/ajb.95.2.241 | title=Phylogenetics and reticulate evolution in ''Pistacia'' (Anacardiaceae) | year=2008 | last1=Yi | first1=Tingshuang | last2=Wen | first2=Jun | last3=Golan-Goldhirsh | first3=Avi | last4=Parfitt | first4=Dan E. | journal=American Journal of Botany | volume=95 | issue=2 | pages=241–251 | pmid=21632348 |doi-access=free}}</ref> to be a hybrid between maternal ''P. lentiscus'' and paternal ''P. terebinthus'' (terebinth or turpentine). The hybrid has  imparipinnate leaves, with leaflets semipersistent, subsessile terminal, and sometimes reduced. Usually, ''P. terebinthus'' and'' P. lentiscus'' occupy different [[biotope]]s and barely overlap: Mastic appears at lower elevations and near the sea, while the ''P. terebinthus'' most frequently inhabits inland and mountainous areas such as the [[Iberian System]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Pistacia terebinthus L. |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:70274-1#:~:text=The%20native%20range%20of%20this,primarily%20in%20the%20subtropical%20biome. |website=Royal Botanic Gardens Kew |publisher=Plants of the World Online}}</ref>
"Dufte-Zeichen" (Scents-signs), the fourth scene from ''[[Sonntag aus Licht]]'' by [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]], is centred around seven scents, each one associated with one day of the week. "Mastix" is assigned to Wednesday and comes third.

==Biblical Narrative==
The mastic tree plays a central role in the narrative of [[Susanna (Book of Daniel)|Susanna]] in the book of [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] in the [[Bible]]. In the story two old men falsely accuse Susanna of [[adultery]]. Their lies are exposed when one says it happened under a mastic tree, while the other says it happened under a [[Quercus ilex|holly oak]]. Since the mastic is, at most, {{convert|4|m|ft}}, while the oak is, at least, {{convert|20|m|ft}} their lies were obvious to all.

==See also==
{{Commons category|Pistacia lentiscus}}
* [[Sideroxylon foetidissimum|False mastic]]
* [[Greek cuisine]]
* [[Greek food products]]
* [[Mastic (plant resin)]]
* [[Mastichochoria]]
* [[Turkish cuisine]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal |vauthors=Takahashi K, Fukazawa M, Motohira H, Ochiai K, Nishikawa H, Miyata T |title=A pilot study on antiplaque effects of mastic chewing gum in the oral cavity |journal=J. Periodontol. |volume=74 |issue=4 |pages=501–5 |date=April 2003 |pmid=12747455 |doi=10.1902/jop.2003.74.4.501|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/10760398 }}

{{refend}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q159812}}

[[Category:Pistacia|lentiscus]]
[[Category:Flora of North Africa]]
[[Category:Flora of Western Asia]]
[[Category:Trees of Europe]]
[[Category:Greek cuisine]]
[[Category:Resins]]
[[Category:Spices]]
[[Category:Chios]]
[[Category:Trees of Mediterranean climate]]
[[Category:Garden plants of Europe]]
[[Category:Garden plants of Africa]]
[[Category:Garden plants of Asia]]
[[Category:Drought-tolerant trees]]
[[Category:Ornamental trees]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Flora of the Mediterranean basin]]