The domesticated versions of wild Mediterranean shrubs are the world’s sole source of gum mastic — a clear resin that has ...

Mastic tree is just as drought-tolerant, though not quite as frost-tolerant, as Chinese pistache. By the way, ancient Greeks were the first people to use mastic tree sap in perfumes, flavorings ...

But much of the island’s trademark mastic gum industry went up in scented smoke over the past week when a wildfire ravaged the world’s only mastic tree plantations during the heart of the ...

A mastic tree at night the island of Chios in Greece. Islanders use the tree’s resin as a cure-all, and pharmaceutical companies are taking notice. Maria Mavropoulou for The New York Times ...

Although the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus) is ubiquitous throughout the Mediterranean, the variety that weeps mastic resin grows only on the southern part of Chios—a quirk of nature that led ...

Answer: The plant in the photo appears to be a young mastic tree or evergreen pistacia. Pistacia lentiscus is a Mediterranean native that grows into a large shrub or small tree to 25 feet.

Mastic is an evergreen, though it has leaves instead of needles and bears little resemblance to northern pine trees. When crushed, the resin releases a flavor reminiscent of pine or cedar.

But much of the island's trademark mastic gum industry went up in scented smoke over the past week when a wildfire ravaged the world's only mastic tree plantations during the heart of the harvest ...