Pistacia vera
Donated by Ruta Daugavietis
2000
Weight: < 1g
Length: 2cm
This shriveled pistachio nut specimen was found and gathered by museum staff from the ground by a pistachio tree orchard in New Mexico. Unlike the pistachios surrounding it, this one was shriveled.
The carbonized remains of even older pistachios dating from the Bronze Age have been excavated in the Middle East. It is unclear whether those carbonized several-thousand-year-old pistachios are on exhibit anywhere, so this wrinkly pistachio may be the next best thing. NEXT >