Native to southwestern and central Asia, Pistachio are tough drought tolerant trees that are commercially grown in hot dry regions of Southern California and Arizona. They can also be grown successfully in Northern California in areas that have strong summer heat for ripening the nuts. Long- lived and moderately slow growing to 25 feet, they begin to bear in 5 to 8 years. Trees produce heavy clusters of tan shelled nuts that form in soft easy to remove reddish husks and ripen in the fall. Delicious and highly nutritious, the nuts are dipped in water, or for more flavor boiled in salted water, then dried in the sun until they split open. Both a male and female tree are needed for nut production with one male pollinating up to eight females. Zones 8-9.