ALMOND TREE. 5 



flowers will begin to open ; when, unless the weather be 

 very fine, they should be housed, that they may not be 

 injured by too much wet, or by frost; but they must be 

 allowed as much fresh air as possible. During the winter 

 they may have a little water once a week in mild weather, 

 but none in frost. This flower must be watered only at 

 the roots. 



ALMOND TREE. 



AMYGDALA. 



ROSACE.!;. ICOSANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 



French, almandier ; Italian, mandorlo. 



THE Almond-tree ! "the lofty Almond-tree a potted plant ! 

 the Almond tree, to which Spenser, in an exquisite passage, 

 likens the plume of Prince Arthur : 



" Upon the top of all, his lofty crest, 

 A bunch of hairs discolour'd diversly, 

 With sprinkled pearl and gold full richly drcst, 

 Did shake, and seem'd to dance for jollity. 

 Like to an almond-tree ymounted high 

 On top of green Selinis all alone, 

 With blossoms brave bedecked daintily, 

 Whose tender locks do tremble every one 



At every little breath that under heaven is blown." 



No, it is not this immortal Almond-tree that is to be 

 moved at pleasure from the garden to a room or balcony ; 

 but a Russian cousin, the Bobownik, Dikii Persik, or Cal- 

 myzkii Orech [Calmuck almond] ; but called by the Cal- 

 mucks themselves Charun Orak, a young Tartar of humble 

 growth, though emulating his great relation in the elegance 

 of his apparel. He is called the Dwarf Almond tree ; and 

 is worthy to have derived his name from the transforma- 

 tion of some dwarf in a fairy tale into a tree. In April 

 the young shoots of this tree are covered with blossoms of 

 a beautiful blush-colour; and the leaves are sometimes 



