Unusual Pistacia atlantica Desf. (Anacardiace) monoecious sex type in the Yunt Mountains of the Manisa Province of Turkey

Pistacia species, including Pistacia atlantica Desf., are dioecious plants. We report an exceptional wild population of P. atlantica with several mono ecious trees, found in the Yunt Mountains of Manisa Province of Turkey. The distribution of staminate and pistillate inflorescences was observed durin g 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 inflorescen ces. Three trees had several branches with only staminate flowers, while th e rest of the branches bore pistillate inflorescences. Five other trees had inflorescences of both sexes on several branches, and pistillate infloresc ences on the remaining branches. We tested viability of the pollen from mon oecious plants by the TTC (triphenyl tetrazolium chloride) assay, and its g ermination ability in vitro. Pollen viability ranged between 64 and 93%, an d pollen germination rate ranged between 34 and 64%. Such values are simila r to those of normal male trees of P. atlantica. Pollen from a monoecious t ree was used to pollinate P. vera cultivars Ohadi and Vahidi, and interspec ific hybrid progeny was obtained.