2'2G AMVGDALUS COMMUNIS. 



States that its fruits vary upon the same hraiicli, from ovate, obtuse, with the 

 husk rather th'shy. to (n-at(\ eonipressed, arumiuatr. and tlir huslc (h-y. It is 

 cuhivatcil in llie south of I!uro]M' for its fruit. Juught considered tlie Tuhcrcs 

 of I'hny, as swoMon almonds of this variety, liaving raised a sinuhir one liimself, 

 by dustini; tiie stiirma of the almond with the pollen of the peach, whidi juo- 

 due(Ml a tolerahly tiood fruit. 



"). A. c. niA(.u,is, l)e (.'andolle. Brittlc-shcllcd Coiumov A///ion(/-/rcc ; Aivnn- 

 dirr a coquft trndre. A/nandicr a roquc wo/lc, of the Frendi. 'I'lie leaves of this 

 variety arc short; the petioles thick. The llowers protude at the same time as 

 the leaves, are of a pale rose-colour, with hroad, deeply-cmaruinate petals. The 

 fruit is acuminate, shell soft, and kernel sweet-flavoured. Cultivated lor its fruit. 



(). A. c. FLORE PLENO, Baimiauii. l)ov hie -flowered Common Almond-tree. 



7. A. c. FOLUS VAiuKGATis, IJaumauu. V<irieg(tted-lcnved Common Ahnond-trcc. 



The almond, considered as a fruit-tree, has given rise to some other varieties, 

 which will be found treated at length in the " iXouveau l)u llamel," and the 

 " jNouveau Cours d'Agriculture," published in France. 



Gcorrr(i])}ii/ and liisfory. The Amygdalus communis is indigenous to Syria 

 and northern Al'rica, and has become naturalized in the south of Europe, Madeira, 

 the Azores, and the Canary Islands, and is cultivated for ornament in Britain, 

 \orth America, and according to Mr. Royle, in the mountainous parts of India, 

 in Asia. 



The beauty of this species, its flowering at a period wlien most other trees 

 appear scarcely to have escaped from the icy chains of winter, and the extraor- 

 dinary profusion of its flowers, doubtless attracted the early attention of aboriginal 

 man. The first mention of the almond is found in ' Holy Writ," when Moses, 

 to ascertain from which of the twelve tribes to choose the high priest, put twelve 

 rods into the tabernacle, and found the following day, the almond rod, which 

 represented the tribe of Levi, covered with leaves and blossoms. 



" And, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, 

 and brought forth bud3, and bloomed bUissoms, and yielded almonds." 



NcMBERS xvii. 8 



The almond is also mentioned in that sacred book as one of the choice fruits of 

 Canaan. It was noticed by Pliny, as well as by other early Roman authors. 

 He calls a variety of it Titberes, which Mr. Knight considers to be the swollen 

 or peach almond (A. c. persicoides.) In Rome, in the time of Cato, the fruit 

 of this species was called "Greek nuts." Pownall, in his "Roman Prov- 

 inces," states that the almond was brought from Greece to Marseilles, in the 

 Middle Age, by the Phocaean colonists. Faulkner, in his "Kensington," says 

 that the fruit came from the east, and was introduced into Britain in 1.570. 

 According to other accounts, it was first brought into that country in 1548. 

 Turner, and also Gerard have treated of this tree, the latter of whom observes, 

 "That though it is a tree of hot regions, yet we have them in our I-ondon 

 gardens and orchards in great plenty, flowering betimes with the peach, and 

 ripening their fruit in xVugust." It is at present in very general cultivation in 

 England, chiefly for its flowers ; and in middle and southern Europe, northern 

 Africa, the Canaries, and a part of Asia, for its fruit. 



This species, and several of the varieties, were introduced by the late William 

 Prince, of Flushing, New York, previous to 1793, and they are cultivated both 

 for ornament and their fruit in various states of the union. 



Poetical and Mythological Alhisions. The following is the origin assigned by 

 Grecian mythology to this tree, as given by Mr. London, in his " Arboretum :"- 

 " Demophoon, son of Theseus, returning from Troy, was cast by a tempest on 

 the coast of Thrace, where he was most hospitably received by the beautiful 



