Primus armeniaca, 
THE COMMON APRICOT-TREE. 
Synonymes. 
Prunus armeniaca, 
Armeniaca vulgaris, 
Abricotier, 
Aprikosenbaum, 
Albicocco, Albercocco, 
Armellini, Pesco americano, 
Miliaco, 
Albaricoquero, Albaricocal, 
Apricot, 
Linn-eus, Species Plantaram. 
De Candolle, Prodroraus. 
Don, Miller's Dictionary. 
Loudon, Arboretum Britannicum. 
France. 
Germany. 
Italy. 
Spain 
Britain and Anglo- America. 
Derivations. The specific name, armeniaca, is derived from Armenia, the country from which this tree was supposed origi- 
.lly to have been brought to Europe. The popular English name, Apricot, was originally pracocia, and was supposed by some 
have been derived from prcecox, early or precocious, from its fruit ripening' sooner than most others. Some derive it from 
e Arabic berkoche ; whence the Spanish and Italian names. 
Engravings. Du Hamel, Traite des Arbres et Arbustes, i., p. 49; Loudon, Arboretum Britannicum, ii., figs. 398, 399, et 
., pi. 107 ; and the figures below. 
peciftc Characters. Flowers sessile. Leaves heart-shaped or ovate. De Candolle, Prodromus. 
Description. 
HE Common Apricot, in 
f favourable situations, 
usually attains a height 
HNP of twenty or thirty feet, 
dm a handsome, spreading, somewhat orbicular 
ead. The branches are furnished with numer- 
us buds, and are clothed with large, heart- 
laped, smooth, shining leaves. The flowers, 
rhich are white, put forth before the leaves, and 
re very ornamental, especially at a season when 
ut few other trees are in bloom. They usually make their appearance at 
laples, in Italy, and at Augusta, in Georgia, by the 20th of February ; in Eng- 
ind, by the first of April, and nearly a month later at New York. The nut or 
tone of the fruit is fleshy, juicy, with its surface downy, obtuse at one end, 
cute at the other, and furrowed at both lateral edges, but the other parts are 
ven. 
Varieties. There are two forms of this kind of apricot, either of which may 
e considered as the species, and two varieties : 
i 1. P. a. ovalifolia. Oval-leaved Apricot-tree, the leaves of which are oval, and 
|ie fruit small. 
I 2. P. a. cordifolia. Heart- shaped-leaved Apricot-tree, with broad, heart-shaped 
Saves, and large fruit. 
3. P. a. foliis variegatis. Variegated-leaved Apricot-tree. 
1 4. P. a. flore pleno. Donble-jloioered Apricot-tree. It is said that the Chinese 
jive a great number of double-flowered varieties of this tree, which they plant 
u little mounts for ornament, and dwarfs in pots, for their apartments. 
; Geography and History. The Prunus armeniaca is indigenous to Armenia, 
Uucasus, the Himalayas, China, and Japan. From its trivial name, it is gene- 
