t ■ 

 NAT. ORDER. 



PomacccR. 



a:\iygdalus communis. common almond tree 



Class XII. IcosANDRiA. Ovclcr I. Monogynia. 



Gen. Char. Calyx five-cleft, inferior. Drupe with a nut, perfo- 

 rated. 



Spc. Char. The louver serratures of the leaves glandular. Flowers 

 sessile, in pairs. 



The Almond Tree is a native of Syria and Barbary; it is culti- 

 vated likewise in France, Italy, Sicily, and in England ; but the 

 warmth of this climate is not generally sufficient to bring it to perfec- 

 tion. It flowers in March and April, and thrives best in a light sandy 

 soil and southern climate. The tree is from fifteen to twenty Icct 

 high, divided into many spreading branches, which are covered with a 

 dark grey bark ; the fruit is of a peach kind, the outer substance of 

 which is liard, tough, hairy, and marked with a longitudinal furrow 

 where it opens ; under this is a thick, rough shell, which contains tho 

 kernel or almond. 



This tree seems to have been known in the remotest times of 

 antiquity, being frequently mentioned by Theophrastus and Hippo- 

 crates ; it is probable, however, that this tree was not very common 

 in Italy in the time of Cato, as he calls the fruit by the name of Greek 

 nuts. It was cultivated in England by Lobel' previous to the year 

 1570 ; and though it does not perfect its fruit in that country, yet it 

 is tliere very much propagated for the beautiful appearance of its 

 flowers, which are the more conspicuous by showing themselves early 



173 



