Red Push Pistache

The Red Push Pistache, scientifically known as Pistacia x ‘Red Push’, is a highly admired and popular hybrid deciduous tree, celebrated for its spectacular seasonal foliage display. This cultivated variety is a cross between Pistacia integerrima (Everest Pistache) and Pistacia atlantica (Mt. Atlas Pistache), combining desirable traits from both parents. Its genetic heritage ensures it thrives in hot, dry climates with full sun and well-drained soils, making it an exceptionally well-suited and widely planted shade tree in Phoenix, Arizona, and similar arid regions. As a long-lived perennial, the Red Push Pistache can easily live for 50 to 100 years or more, developing into a robust and beautiful landscape specimen.

Its most distinctive characteristic, and the source of its common name, is its vibrant, dynamic foliage color. New growth in spring emerges with a striking reddish or bronzy tint, which gradually matures to a lush, glossy dark green throughout the summer. The true showstopper, however, occurs in autumn, when the leaves transform into a brilliant and breathtaking display of fiery reds, oranges, and yellows, creating a dramatic splash of color in the landscape before dropping. The tree typically develops an upright, oval to rounded crown with a moderate to fast growth rate, eventually reaching heights of 25-40 feet with a similar spread, providing excellent shade. The bark is attractive, becoming furrowed and exfoliating with age. While it does produce inconspicuous flowers, its primary ornamental value is its stunning foliage. Being a hybrid, it is often seedless or produces very few viable seeds, reducing mess compared to other Pistache varieties. The Red Push Pistache is highly valued for its exceptional drought tolerance once established, its resilience to heat, and its relatively low maintenance needs. These qualities make it an outstanding choice for street trees, park trees, large residential yards, and as a vibrant shade tree in xeriscapes and desert-adapted landscapes, particularly excelling in the hot, dry climate of Phoenix, Arizona.