220 ORIGIN OF CULTIVATED PLANTS. 



is also regarded as wild on the coasts of Sicily and of 

 Greece;^ but there, and still more in the localities in 

 which it occurs in Italy, Spain, and France, it is probable, 

 and almost certain, that it springs from the casual dis- 

 persal of the nuts from cultivation. 



The antiquity of its existence in Western Asia is 

 proved by Hebrew names for the almond tree — schaked, 

 luz or lus (which recurs in the Arabic louz), and sche- 

 kedim for the nut.^ The Persians have another name, 

 hadam, but I do not know how old this is. Theophras- 

 tus and Dioscorides ^ mention the almond by an entirely 

 different name, amugdalai, translated by the Latins into 

 amygdalus. It may be inferred from this that the Greeks 

 did not receive the species from the interior of Asia, but 

 found it in their own country, or at least in Asia Minor. 

 The almond tree is represented in several frescoes found 

 at Pompeii.^ Pliny ^ doubts whether the species was 

 known in Italy in Cato's time, because it was called the 

 Greek nut. It is very possible that the almond was in- 

 troduced into Italy from the Greek islands. Almonds 

 have not been found in the terra-mave of the neigh- 

 bourhood of Parma, even in the upper layers. 



The late introduction of the species into Italy, and the 

 absence of naturalization in Sardinia and Spain,^ incline 

 me to doubt whether it is really indigenous in the north 

 of Africa and Sicily. In the latter countries it was more 

 probably naturalized some centuries ago. In confirma- 

 tion of this hypothesis, I note that the Berber name of 

 the almond, talouzet^ is evidently connected with the 

 Arabic louz, that is to say with the language of the 

 conquerors who came after the Romans. In Western 

 Asia, on the contrary, and even in some parts of Greece, 



^ Gussone, Synopsis Flares SiculcB, i. p. 552 ; Heldreich, Nutzpjlanzen 

 Griechenlands, p. 67. 



' Hiller, Hierophyton, L p. 215 ; Rosenmiiller, Randb. Bihl. Alterth.f 

 ir. p. 263. 



• Theophrastus, Hist., lib. l,c. 11, 18, etc. ; Dioscorides, lib, 1, c. 176. 



• Schouw, Die Erde, etc. ; Comes, III. Piante nei dipinti Pomp., p. 13. 



• Pliny, Hist., lib. 16,0. 22. 



• Moris, Flora Sardoa, ii. p. 5 ; Willkomm and Lange, Prodr. Fl:Hisp^ 

 ai. p. 243. 



' Dictionnaire Frangais Btrhere, 1844, 



