Unusual pistacia atlantica desf. (anacardiaceae) monoecious sex type in the yunt mountains of the manisa province of turkey

Pistacia species, including Pistacia atlantica Desf., are dioecious plants. We reportan exceptional wild population of P. atlantica with several monoecious trees, foundin the Yunt Mountains of Manisa Province of Turkey. The distribution of staminateand pistillate inflorescences was observed during two years and varied betweentrees. All branches of one of the trees were fully monoecious, i.e., they bore amixture of male and female inflorescences. Three trees had several branches withonly staminate flowers, while the rest of the branches bore pistillate inflorescences.Five other trees had inflorescences of both sexes on several branches, and pistillateinflorescences on the remaining branches. We tested viability of the pollen frommonoecious plants by the TTC (triphenyl tetrazolium chloride) assay, and its germination ability in vitro. Pollen viability ranged between 64 and 93%, and pollengermination rate ranged between 34 and 64%. Such values are similar to those ofnormal male trees of P. atlantica. Pollen from a monoecious tree was used topollinate P. vera cultivars Ohadi and Vahidi, and interspecific hybrid progeny wasobtained.