AMYGDALUS COMMUNIS. THE COMMON ALMOND TREE. 
Class XIL ICOSANDRIA. Order I. MONOGYNIA. 
Natural Order. AMY GDALEiE. THE ALMOND TRIBE. 
The Almond-tree is a native of Syria, but is now completely naturalized in the south of Europe, and will 
even perfect its fruit in the most favourable parts of our island. In this country, however, it is raised chiefly 
on account of its being highly ornamental in shrubberies, plantations, and other pleasure-grounds, from its 
coming into bloom early in the spring, before the leaves are expanded. 
This fact is thus delightfully touched on by Moore : 
The hope, in dreams, of a happier hour 
That alights on misery’s brow, 
Springs out of the silvery almond flower, 
That blooms on a leafless bough. 
This tree rises to the height of about twenty feet, is much branched* and covered with a greyish bark. 
The leaves, which considerably resemble those of the peach, are three or four inches long, elliptical, petioled, 
narrow, pointed at each end, serrated, with small glands at the base, and of a bright green colour. The 
flowers are in numerous pairs, sessile or on very short foot-stalks, varying in colour from rose-red to snow- 
white, and appear in March and April. The calyx is tubular, reddish externally, and divided at the mar- 
gin into five blunt segments: the corolla consists of five ovate, concave petals, irregularly notched and 
waved at the edges, and inserted by narrow claws into the calyx; the filaments about thirty, cylindrical, 
Unequal, shorter than the corolla, inserted into the calyx, and furnished with roundish orange-coloured 
anthers ; the germen is downy at the base, with a short, simple style, supporting a round stigma. The 
fruit, as well as the leaves, resemble those of the peach-tree, a species of the same genus, or, as some de- 
clare, a variety of the same species, but is more flat, and instead of possessing the rich pulp of the latter, 
has a tough coriaceous covering, which opens spontaneously at the longitudinal furrow, when ripe. The 
kernel, which is the Almond of the shops, is inclosed in an oblong, flattish, brittle, spongy shell, of a brown 
colour, pointed at one end and composed of two cotyledons enveloped with a thin brown skin. 
The Almond-tree is common in China, and most parts of Asia, as well as in Barbary, where it is a 
native. In the south of France it is much cultivated, especially in Provence and Dauphine, for the sake of 
the fruit, which is rarely matured in England. 
It appears to have been known at a very remote period, and is mentioned by Hippocrates, Theo- 
phrastus, and other ancient authors. It has been long cultivated in England and is a great favourite in 
the shrubbery, blossoming sometimes as early as February, and forming a most enchanting harbinger of 
spring. 
Bacon enumerates the almond among the plants which, in the climate of London, blossom in March. 
He holds that in “ the royal ordering of gardens there ought to be gardens for all the months in the year, 
in which, severally, things of beauty may be then in season.” Thus “ for December and January, and the 
latter part of November, you must take such things as are green all the winter; holly, ivy, bays, juniper, 
cypress trees, yew, pines, fir trees, rosemary, and lavender; periwinkle, the white, the purple, and the blue ; 
germander, flag, orange trees, lemon trees and myrtles, if they be stoved ; and sweet marjoram, warm set. 
There followeth for the latter part of January and February, the mezereon tree, which then blossoms ; cro- 
cus vernus, both the yellow and the grey ; primroses, anemones, the early tulip, hyacinthus orientalis, and 
chamai'ris fritellaria. For March, there come violets, especially the single blue, which are the earliest ; 
the early daffodil, the daisy, the almond tree in blossom, the peach tree in blossom, the cornelian tree in 
blossom, and sweetbriar. In April follow the double white violet, the wall-flower, the stock gilliflower, the 
cowslip, flower-de-luce and lilies of all natures ; rosemary-flowers, the tulip, the double-peony, thA pale 
