188 



THE ALMOND. 



(Amygdalus communis L.) 



And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; 

 and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of L/evi was budded, and brought forth buds, 

 and blossomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. Numbers 17: 8. 



The almond is the fruit of a small tree number of varieties. Karsten, for in- 



(Amygdalus communis) belonging to stance, describes five varieties of A. com- 



the Rose family (Rosaceae). The plant is munis, namely, dulcis, amara, fragilis, 



believed to be a native of northern Africa, fnacrocarpa andt persicoides*. Boissier 



Persia and Turkestan. It occurs wild in his Flora Orientalis describes as many 



in Sicily and Greece and is cultivated as seventeen distinct species, 



throughout temperate Europe, including The almond tree is one of the oldest 



England. of the cultivated plants. It was a great 



The leaves of the almond tree are sim- garden favorite in and about Palestine, 

 pie, broadly lanceolate, margins serrate, It is frequently mentioned in the books 

 bright green and stalked. The flowers of Moses. In Exodus 25 : 34, we find 

 are nearly sessile, mostly solitary, petals that the "candlestick shall have four 

 bright pink ; otherwise similar to the bowls made like unto almonds." As ex- 

 flowers of the rose family as seen in the plained in the 8th verse of chapter 17 of 

 apple blossom, cherry blossom and the Numbers the blossoming rod of Aaron 

 wild rose. The fruit is a drupe or stone was from an almond tree. Even to this 

 fruit, resembling the peach in its general day Jews carry rods bearing almond bios- 

 structural characters. It is, however, soms to the synagogues on great festival 

 much smaller, measuring about one and days. The Romans designated the al 

 one-half inch in length. ' As in the peach monds (the kernels or seeds with the hard 

 the outer portion of the fruit coat (sarco- endocarp or shell) Nuces graecae (Greek 

 carp) is fleshy, thev inner portion (endo- nuts), from which it is concluded that the 

 carp or putamen) is hard and encloses the almond tree was brought to Italy from 

 kernel or seed to which the term almond Greece. Almond oil was known to the 

 is usually applied. The plant is very or- ancient Greek and Roman writers. Pli- 

 namental, producing its beautiful flow- nius and Dioscorides make reference to 

 ers in March before the leaves are devel- the gum which exudes from the bark, 

 oped. Karl der Grosse (Charlemagne) recom- 



Two natural varieties of almonds are mended the cultivation of almonds in 



quite universally recognized, the sweet Germany. In view of the fact that some 



(A. communis var dulcis) and the bitter authorities state that the sweet variety is 



(A. communis var amara). They resem- a product of cultivation, it is interesting 



ble each other so closely in general ap- to note that the two varieties have been 



pearance that it is practically impossible known equally long. The bitter variety 



to distinguish between them. The prin- was described by Scribonius Largus and 



cipal difference lies in the chemistry of Plinius. Alexander Trallianus described 



the kernels or seeds themselves. In the the medicinal virtues of the oil of bitter 



bitter variety amygdalin is found, which almonds. Palladinus gave directions 



is practically wanting in the sweet va- how to convert the bitter variety into the 



rietv. Some botanists describe quite a sweet variety by methods of cultivation. 



