118 TREATISE ON FRUIT TREES. 



When the description of this tree is compared with that of the peach tree, 

 especially with respect to the fruiting parts, there are so many similarities that several 

 botanists have included both of the trees under the same name Amygdalus. But in this 

 work we have no intention of assigning a precise classification or natural family to each 

 tree. Rather we intend to point out the principal features that distinguish one tree from 

 another and the varieties of a species. So we have retained the individual names for the 

 peach & for the almond tree, with the visible distinctions in mind that keep them from 

 being confused. The almond tree actually is bigger & livelier than the peach tree; it 

 sustains & nourishes its branches better. The leaves differ in size, proportion, color, the 

 petioles, the prominence of the veins & the depth of the corresponding furrows. The 

 almond's flowers bloom long before those of the peach; they have larger petals that differ 

 in color & shape. Lastly, the fruit of the almond tree is very different from that of the 

 peach tree. Its skin is never colored, and it's shaped differently. Its flesh is quite thin and 

 unpleasant to the taste, whereas that of the peach is substantial & delicious. Its pit is 

 perforated only by a few holes & is lightly indented with shallow grooves, in contrast to 

 that of the peach that is coarse & deeply roughened. Its kernel, the almond, is used for 

 food even though it's bitter, while that of the peach is not used at all, &c. 



SPECIES AND VARIETIES 



I. Sweet ALMOND, smaller fruit. C.B.P. 441. [Translator's note: Caspar Bauhin Pinax, 



1560-1624, was an early describer of the tree.] 



ALMOND TREE with small fruit. Common ALMOND TREE. 



Since all bona fide almond trees have the same habit, or show no distinct 

 difference, I won't go over its description. 



