CHAP, XLII. ROSA‘CEEH. AMY’GDALUS. 675 
¥ A, 
a 
be 
Greece, &c., for its fruit, which is preferred for some purposes in medicine and in domes- 
tic economy to that of the sweet almond, “particularly for giving a flavour ; and for stocks 
for grafting the other varieties on, and the peach, apricot, and eventhe plum. Bitter 
almonds are generally mixed with sweet ones, in very small proportions, for making 
blancmange, &c. Plutarch mentions that a great drinker of wine used to escape becoming 
intoxicated by the use of bitter almonds ; which, perhaps, may be accounted for from the 
contra-stimulus of the prussic acid, which is known to abound more in bitter almonds 
than in sweet ones. 
c. 2 dulcis Dec. The sweet-kerneled common Almond Tree. 
Identification. Dec. FI. Fr., 4. p. 486.; Prod., 2. p.530.; Lam. Ill. t. 430. f. 2. 
Synonymes. Amandier & petits Fruits, Amande douce, Fr. ; siisse Mandel, Ger. 
Engraving. Lam. Ill, t. 430. f. 2. 
Description, &c. Leaves grey-green. Flowers protruded earlier than the leaves. 
Styles much longer than the stamens. Fruit ovate-compressed, acuminate. Shell hard. 
Kernel sweet-flavoured. Cultivated in the same places as the preceding sort, and ge- 
nerally propagated by grafting standard high on the bitter almond, or any strong-grow 
ing seedling almonds, in order to make sure of the fruit being sweet. 
. c. 3 fldre pléno Baum. Cat. has double flowers. 
. c. 4 foliis variegatis Baum, Cat. has variegated leaves. 
. c. 5 fragilis Ser. The brittle-shelled common Almond Tree. 
Identification. Séringe in Dec, Prod., 2. p. 531. 
Synonymes. A. fragilis Hell., 1. p.500.; Amandier des Dames N. Du Ham., 4. p. 113., 
Noisette Jard. Fruit., p.7.; Coque molle, Amandier A Coque tendre, Fr. ; Abellan, 
Provence. 
Engraving. Noisette Jard. Fruit., p. 7. t. 3. f. 2. 
Description, &c. Flowers protruded at the same time as the leaves, and of a pale rose 
colour. Petals broader, and deeply emarginate. Leaves shorter; the petioles thick. 
Fruit acuminate ; shell soft; kernel sweet-flavoured. Cultivated for its fruits like the 
preceding sorts, 
. c. 6 macrocadrpa Ser. The long-fruited common Almond Tree. 
Identification. Seringe in Dec. Prod, 2. p. 531. 
Synonymes. Amandier a gros Fruits N. Du Ham., 4. p.112., Noitsette Jard. Fruit., p.7. ; 
Amandier Sultane, Amandier des Dames, Amandier Pistache, Fr. 
Engraving. Noisette Jard. Fruit., p. 7. t. 3. 
Description, &c. Leaves broader, acuminate, scarcely grey. Peduncles short, turgid. 
Flowers of a very pale rose colour, large, protruded before the leaves. Petals broadly 
obcordate, waved. Fruit large, umbilicate at the base, acuminate at the tip; shell hard. 
There are two subvarieties, one with the fruit rather smaller, called, commonly, in France, 
amanidier sultane ; and another, with the fruit still smaller, called there amandier pis- 
tache; the kernels of both of which are considered remarkably delicate, and are pre- 
ferred for the table. The flowers of this variety are always produced earlier than those 
of any other; and the kernels of the fruit are always sweet. In British gardens, the 4. 
c. macrocarpa has much the largest flowers of any of the varieties; and, as none of 
them are cultivated in Britain for their fruit, this kind is by far the most desirable, on 
account of the magnitude and beauty of its flowers, which are white slightly tinged 
with pink. It is a vigorous large tree, of rapid growth, somewhat more fastigiate than 
the species ; and it is propagated by grafting on the common species, or any free-growing 
variety of plum. There are fine specimens in the garden of the Horticultural Society, 
ae ” the Hammersmith Nursery. Price of dwarf plants, 1s. 6d. each ; standard high, 
s. 6d. 
. ¢. 7 persicdides Ser. The Peach-like-leaved common Almond Tree. 
Identification. Seringe in Dec. Prod., 2. p. 531. 
Synonyme. Amandier-pecher N.Du Ham., 4, p.114., Nozsette Jard. Fruit., p.7. 
Engraving. Noisette Jard. Fruit., p. 7. t. 3. f. 1. 
Description, &c. Leaves similar to those of the peach tree. Fruit ovate, obtuse; its 
husk slightly succulent ; the shell of a yellowish dark colour, and the kernel sweet-fla- 
voured. Du Hamel has stated that its fruits vary upon the same branch, from ovate, 
obtuse, with the husk rather fleshy, to ovate, compressed, acuminate, and the husk dry. 
Cultivated in France and Italy for its fruit, but rarely found in British gardeus. The 
tuberes of Pliny, Knight considers as swollen almonds, and the same as this variety, 
having raised a similar one by dusting the stigma of the almond-with the pollen of the 
peach, which produced a tolerably good fruit. (See Hort. Trans., iii. p.4.,and E. of 
Gard. edit. 1835, p. 920.) 
Other Varieties. The almond, considered as a fruit tree, has given rise to some other 
varieties, which will be found treated of at length in French works on gardening, in the Nou- 
veau Du Hamel, and the Nouveau Cours d’ Agriculture. 
General Description, History, §c. In British gardens, the common almond, 
grafted on the plum, standard high, forms a tree of 20ft. or 30 ft. in height, 
with a spreading head, thin of branches ; and it is commonly one of the first 
hardy trees which displays its blossoms. These generally expand, in Britain, in 
March, but in mild seasons even in February. At Smyrna, they appear in the 
beginning of February; in Germany, in the latter part of April; and at 
Christiania, in Norway, not till the beginning of June. (Dec. Phys. Vég.,ii. 
Pp. tliey 
The blossoms are of a pale rose colour; and it has been observed, 
that, though spring frosts often destroy the germs of the fruit, they do not in- 
jure the beauty of the flowers, but even increase their brilliancy, An avenue 
VANE 
