Mastic Tree

This is a shrub or tree dioecious, separate male and female plants, evergreen from 1 to 5 m high, with a strong smell of resin. It is a very typical species that grows in Mediterranean mixed communities of myrtle, Kermes oak, Mediterranean dwarf Palm, buckthorn, 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 and abundant in dry Mediterranean. Grows as a bush and when older, it develops some large trunks and numerous branches thicker and longer. In appropriate areas, when allowed to grow freely and gets old, often becomes a tree up to 7 m.
The leafs are alternate, leathery and compound paripinnate (no terminal leaflet) with 3 or 6 deep green leaflets. Presents very small flowers, the male with 5 stamens, the female trifid style. The fruit is a drupe, first red and then black when ripe, about 4 mm in diameter.