Mastic tree

Only in the south of Chios do mastic trees yield mastiha – a resin and chewing gum known since antiquity.

An evergreen shrub or small tree with pinnate, leathery leaves and tiny reddish flowers. The fruits are small drupes, red at first, then black. It is one of the commonest components of Mediterranean maquis and copes well with drought and salty wind. Fragrant resin oozes from cuts in the bark and hardens into translucent “tears” – mastic, used in cooking, cosmetics and medicine.

Significance in the country

Chios mastic has a protected designation of origin, and the traditional cultivation of mastic trees has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. For centuries the island has had special “mastic villages” (mastichochoria).

Where it grows

Wild in maquis on the coasts and islands throughout Greece; mastic is obtained only from trees cultivated in the southern part of Chios (North Aegean).

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