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ALMOND. AMYGDALUS. 



Natural order, Pomacea. A genus of the Icosandria Mono- 

 gynia class. 



THAT the Almond-tree is a native of Syria and Arabia, 

 we have the authority of the earliest writers. 



Jacob mentions almonds among the best fruits of the 

 land of Canaan, when he says to his sons, " Take of the 

 best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the 

 man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices and 

 myrrh, nuts and almonds." By the miracle of Aaron's rod 

 we learn that this tree was growing in the wilderness 

 " the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, 

 and brought forth buds, and blossomed blossoms, and 

 yielded almonds." The Israelites did not use the same 

 ornamental statuary that adorned the heathen temples, 

 but copied the fruits and flowers of their country, where 

 they admitted embellishment. The almond was selected 

 to beautify the candlesticks for the taberriacle, which 

 were made of pure gold, of beaten work: " Three bowls 

 made after the fashion of almonds in one branch, a knop 

 and a flower : and three bowls made like almonds in ano- 

 ther branch, a knop and a flower ; so throughout the six 

 branches going out of the candlestick. And in the six 

 candlesticks were four bowls made like almonds, his 

 knops, and his flowers." 



Theophrastus, who wrote about 300 years before 

 Christ, mentions the almond as the only tree in Greece 

 that produced the blossoms before the leaves. Servius 



