XXVI. flosA^cE^ : ^mi'gdalus. 



263 



424. A. nina. 



423. A. nslna. 



of the species of willow, but are of a 

 darker and more shining green, at least 

 in the original species. The stems are 

 not of long duration ; but the plant 

 throws up abundance of travelling suck- 

 ers, by which it is continued naturally, 

 and also propagated. It is common 

 through all the plains of Russia, from ^<(i' 

 55 N. lat. to the south of the empire. "-^"^ 

 In British gardens it is valuable on 

 account of its early flowering, the grace- 

 fulness of the slender twigs, on which 

 its flowers are produced before the 

 leaves appear, and of its easy culture in 

 any dry soil. Its fruit resembles that of 

 J. communis, but is much smaller, and 

 I rarely seen in England. The plant, which is usually called the dwarf double- 

 ' blossomed almond in British gardens, is Cerasus japonica fldre pleno, or, as it 

 I is frequently named in the nurseries, Jmygdalus pumila. 



jk 2. A. inca'na Pa/L The hoary dwarf Almond. 



I Identification. Pall. Ross., 1. p. 13.; Smith Fl. Grace, t. 497. ; Don's 

 ! Miller, 2. p. 482. ; Lindl. in Hot. Reg., 18;;9, t. ^S. 



Synonymcs. A. nana vr.r. inc.na Guldcnst'dd., and Arb. Brit. 1st edit. 

 I vol. li. p. ()74. ; A. toment6sula Lodd. Cat. 



I Eiigravings. Pall. Ross., 1. t. 7. ; Flor. Gra;c., t. 477. ; Bot. Reg., 1839, 

 \ t. -58. ; and our Jig. 424. 



I Spec. Char., Sfc. Leaves obovate serrated, clothed with 

 I white toraentum beneath. Flowers solitary. Drupe 

 j compressed, pubescent. (Don's Mill.) A low decidu- 

 ! ous shrub. Caucasus and the Levant, between Smyrna 

 j and Bursa. Height 2 ft. to 3 ft. Introduced in 1815. 

 j Flowers red ; March and April. 



Readily known from A. nana by its leaves being covered 

 with hoariness beneath. Increased by budding on the 

 common plum. 



3^ 3. A. commu'nis L. The common Almond Tree. 



Identification. Lin. Sp., 677. ; Dec. Prod., 2. p. 530. ; Don's Mill., 2. p. 482. 

 Engravings. N. Du Ham., 4. t. 29. ; and the plate of this tree in Arb. Brit., 1st edit., vol. v. ; 

 our fig. 42.5. 



Spec. Char., ^c. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, serrulate. Flowers solitary. 

 Calyx of a bell-shape. Fruit compressed, and rather egg shaped. (Dec. 

 Prod.) A middle-sized deciduous tree. Mauritania, and in the mountain- 

 ous parts of Asia. Height 20 ft. to 30 ft. Introduced in 1538. Flowers 

 white or rose-coloured ; March and April. Drupe brownish ; ripe in Oc- 

 tober. In fine seasons the fruit ripens on standards as far north as Derby, 

 and on walls at Edinburgh. 



Varietk's. 



J A. c. 1 amara Dec. The bitter Almond. Amandier amer, i^/-. ; gemeine 

 Mandelbaum, Ger. Flowers large. Petals pale pink, with a tinge 

 of rose colour at the base. Styles nearly as long as the stamens, 

 and tomentose in the lower part. Seeds bitter. There are two 

 forms of the bitter almond ; one with a hard shell, and the other 

 with a brittle one. The tree is cultivated in the South of France, 

 in Austria, in Italy, in Ureece, &c.. for its fruit, which is preferred 

 for some purposes in medicine and in domestic 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 even 

 the plum. Bitter almonds are generally mixed with sweet ones, in 

 very small [)roportions, for making blancmange, lic. 



s 4 



424. A. inckna. 



and 



