CHAP. XLII. 7)SA X CRA:. y/MY'GDALUS. 675 



(Greece, &c., for its fruit, whii-h is preferred for some purposes in medicine and In domes- 

 tic 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 proportions, for making 

 blancmange, &c. Plutarch mentions that a great drinker of wine used to escape becoming 

 intoxicated by the use of hitter aim >ml.s ; which, perhaps, may be accounted for from the 

 centra-stimulus of the prussic acid, which is known to abound more in bitter almonds 

 than in sweet ones. 



* A. c. 2 dulcis Dec. The sweet-kerneled common Almond Tree. 



Identification. Dec. Fl. Fr., 4. p. 48fi. ; Prod., 2. p. 530. ; Lam. 111. t. 430. f. V. 

 Si/nuni/nics. Amandier a petits Fruits, Amande douce, Fr. ; siisse Mandel, Ger. 

 Engraving. Lam. 111., t. 430. f. 2. 



Description, #c. Leaves grey-green. Flowers protruded earlier than the leaves. 

 Styles much longer than the stamens. Fruit ovate-compressed, acuminate. Shell hard. 

 Kernel sweet-flavoured. Cultivated in the same places as the preceding sort, and ge- 

 nerally propagated by grafting standard high on the bitter almond, or any strong-grow 

 ing seedling almonds, in order to make sure of the fruit being sweet. 



jf A. c. 3 fibre pleno Baum. Cat. has double flowers. 



*f A. c. tfbliis variegdtis Baum. Cat. has variegated leaves. 



3f A. c. 5 fragilis Ser. The brittle.sbe\\ed common Almond Tree. 

 Identification. Seringe in Dec. Prod., 2. p. 531. 

 Synonymcs. A. fragilis Hell., 1. p. 500. ; Amandier des Dames N. Du Ham., 4. p. 113., 



Noisette Jard. Fruit., p. 7. ; Coque molle, Amandier & Coque tendre, Fr. ; Abellan, 



Provence. 

 Engraving. Noisette Jard. Fruit, p. 7. t. 3. f. 2. 



Description, S(C. Flowers protruded at the same time as the leaves, and of a pale rose 

 colour. Petals broader, and deeply emarginate. Leaves shorter ; the petioles thick. 

 Fruit acuminate ; shell soft ; kernel sweet-flavoured. Cultivated for its fruits like the 

 preceding sorts. 



3f A. c. 6 macrocarpa Ser, The long.fruited common Almond Tree. 

 Identification. Seringe in Dec. Prod , 2. p. 531. 

 Synonymes. Amandier a gros Fruits N. Du Ham., 4. p. 112., Noisette Jard. Fruit., p. 1. ; 



Amandier Sultane, Amandier des Dames, Amandier Pistache, Fr. 

 Engraving. Noisette Jard. Fruit, p. 7. t. 3. 



Description, S$c. Leaves broader, acuminate, scarcely grey. Peduncles short, turgid. 

 Flowers of a very pale rose colour, large, protruded before the leaves. Petals broadly 

 obcordate, waved. Fruit large, umbilicate at the base, acuminate at the tip; shell hard. 

 There are two subvarieties, one with the fruit rather smaller, called, commonly, in France, 

 amandier sultane ; and another, with the fruit still smaller, called there amandier pis- 

 tache; the kernels of both of -which are considered remarkably delicate, and are pre- 

 ferred for the table. The flowers of this variety are always produced earlier than those 

 of any other ; and the kernels of the fruit are always sweet. In British gardens, the A. 

 c. macrocarpa has much the largest flowers of any of the varieties ; and, as none of 

 them are cultivated in Britain for their fruit, this kind is by far the most desirable, on 

 account of the magnitude and beauty of its flowers, which are white slightly tinged 

 with pink. It is a vigorous large tree, of rapid growth, somewhat more fastigiate than 

 the species ; and it is propagated by grafting on the common species, or any free-growing 

 variety of plum. There are fine specimens in the garden of the Horticultural Society, 

 and in the Hammersmith Nursery. Price of dwarf plants, Is. 6d. each ; standard high, 

 2$. 6d. 



^ A. c. 7 persicoides Ser. The Peach-like-\eaved common Almond Tree. 

 Identification. Seringe in Dec. Prod., 2. p. 531. 



Synonyme. Amandier-pecher N.Du Ham., 4. p. 114., Noisette Jard. Fruit., p. 7. 

 Engraving. Noisette Jard. Fruit., p. 7. t. 3. f. 1. 



Description, Sfc. Leaves similar to those of the peach tree. Fruit ovate, obtuse; its 

 husk slightly succulent; the shell of a yellowish dark colour, and the kernel sweet-fla- 

 voured. Du Hamel has stated that its fruits vary upon the same branch, from ovate, 

 obtuse, with the husk rather fleshy, to ovate, compressed, acuminate, and the husk dry. 

 Cultivated in France and Italy for its fruit, but rarely found in British gardens. The 

 tttbcrcs of Pliny, Knight considers as swollen almonds, and the same as this variety, 

 having raised a similar one by dusting the stigma of the almond^with the pollen of the 

 peach, which produced a tolerably good fruit. (See Hort. Trans.,ni. p. 4., and E. of 

 Card. edit. 1835, p. 920.) 



Other J'aricf/'rs. The almond, considered as a fruit tree, has given rise to some other 

 varieties, which will be found treated of at length in French works on gardening, in the A r ow- 

 veau Du Hamel, and the Nouvcau Cours d' Agriculture. 



General Description, History, $c. In British gardens, the common almond, 

 grafted on the plum, standard high, forms a tree of 20ft. or 30ft. in height, 

 with a spreading head, thin of branches ; and it is commonly one of the first 

 hardy trees which displays its blossoms. These generally expand, in Britain, in 

 March, but in mild seasons even in February. At Smyrna, they appear in the 

 beginning of February; in Germany, in the latter part of April; and at 

 Christiania, in Norway, not till the beginning of June, (Dec. Phys. Veg. y ii. 

 p. 717.) The blossoms are of a pale rose colour; and it has beeri observed, 

 that, though spring frosts often destroy the germs of the fruit, they do not in- 

 jure the beauty of the flowers, but even increase their brilliancy. An avenue 



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