EVENTS > Almond-Tree

The Almond is a small deciduous tree belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae ; an almond is also the fruit of this tree. The plant is classified with the peach in the subgenus Amygdalus within Prunus , distinguished from the other subgenera by the corrugated seed shell.

The sweet fleshy outer covering of other members of Prunus , such as the plum and cherry , is replaced by a leathery coat called the hull, which contains inside a hard shell the edible kernel, commonly called a nut . In botanical parlance, the reticulated hard stony shell is called an endocarp , and the fruit, or exocarp , is a drupe , having a downy outer coat.

The leaves are lanceolate, 6-12 cm long, and serrated at the edges. The flowers are white or pale pink, 3-5 cm diameter with five petals, produced before the leaves in early spring.