The bush grows up to 10 metres tall It has deciduous pinnate leaves 10-20 centimeters long. The plants are dioecious, with separate male and female trees. The fruit is a drupe, containing an elongated seed, which is the edible portion. The seed, commonly thought of as a nut, is a culinary nut, not a botanical nut. The fruit has a hard whitish exterior shell.
The tree produces a seed. Pistachio is a desert plant, and is highly tolerant of saline soil. It has been reported to grow well when irrigated with water having 3000-4000 ppm of soluble salts. Trees can survive temperatures ranging between -10° C in winter and 48° C in summer. They need a sunny position and well drained soil. Long, hot summers are required for the proper ripening of the fruit.
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 split part way open. The shell of the pistachio is naturally a beige colour, but it is sometimes dyed red or green in commercial pistachios.
Each pistachio tree averages around 50 kg of seeds, or around 50,000 every 2 years. The United States and Turkey are the major producers of pistachios. The trees are planted in orchards, and take approximately seven to ten years to reach significant production. Peak production is reached at approximately 20 years.