ISRAEL JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCES, vol.48, no.4, pp.277-280, 2000 (SCI-Expanded)
Pistacia species, including Pistacia atlantica Desf., are dioecious plants. We report an exceptional wild population of P. atlantica with several monoecious trees, found in the Yunt Mountains of Manisa Province of Turkey. The distribution of staminate and pistillate inflorescences was observed during two years and varied between trees. All branches of one of the trees were fully monoecious, i.e., they bore a mixture of male and female inflorescences. Three trees had several branches with only staminate flowers, while the rest of the branches bore pistillate inflorescences. Five other trees had inflorescences of both sexes on several branches, and pistillate inflorescences on the remaining branches. We tested viability of the pollen from monoecious plants by the TTC (triphenyl tetrazolium chloride) assay, and its germination ability in vitro. Pollen viability ranged between 64 and 93%, and pollen germination rate ranged between 34 and 64%. Such values are similar to those of normal male trees of P. atlantica. Pollen from a monoecious tree was used to pollinate P. vera cultivars Ohadi and Vahidi, and interspecific hybrid progeny was obtained.