ARBORETUM ET FRUTICETUÌVI BRITANNICUM.
S ynonymes. Amygdalójihora Necìc. ; Amandier, F r . ; Mandelbaum, Gcì\ ; Mandorio, Ita l.
Ì)erivati07i. F rom anmsso, to lacerate, in reference to tiie fissured shell of th e n u t. Martinius suspects
th a t it comes from a Hebrew word which signifies vigilant ; because its early flowers announce
th e re tu rn o f spring.
Gen. Char. Drupe clothed with velvety pubescence, having a dry rind, which
separates irregularly, containing a p itted or smooth putamen or nut. {Don's
Mill.)
Leaves simple, conduplicate when young, alternate, stipulate, deciduous.
Flowers nearly sessile, usually pink or rose coloured, rising either singly or
by pairs from th e scaly buds, earlier than th e leaves.— Shrubs or trees o f th e
middle size, deciduous. Natives o f the N o rth o f Africa, and tlie rnoimtains
o f Asia ; also o f Russia, and th e Levant.
T h e fruit-bearing species are cultivated in th e Middle and South o f Europe
and th e Levant, and are propagated chiefly by grafting ; and th e others by
grafting, layers, suckers, o r cuttings o f the root. The almond was included
by Linnæus in the same genus with the peach and nectarine, o f both o f which
it is, doubtless, th e parent, as trees have been found with almonds in a
state o f transition to peaches, and with both peaches and nectarines on th e
same branch.
J, 1. A. n a ' n a L . The dwarf, or shruhhy, Almond.
Idenlificaiion. Lin . Mant., 396. j De c. P ro d ., 2. p. 530. ; D o n ’s Mill., 2. p. 482.
Synonymes. P rù n u s in érm is ; A . n à n a v ar. a, v u lg àris Dec. ; Amandier n ain, Fr. ; Zwerchem
ande l, Ger. \ Peschino della China, Ita l.
E n g ra vin g s. Bot. Mag., t. 161. ; N . D u Ham., 4. t. 30. ; an d oar fig s. 422, 423.
Sj)cc. Char., Sjo- Leaves oblong-linear, tapered a t th e base, serrated, glabrous ;
Flowers solitary, rose-coloured. Calyx cylindrically bell-shaped. F ru it o f the
same shape as th a t of A. commùnis, hut much smaller. {Dec. Prod.) A
deciduous low shrub. Calmuc Tartary, very frequent on th e banks o f the
Volga, and about Odessa. Height 2 ft. to 3 ft. Introduced in 1683.
Flowers rose coloured ; March and April.
Varieties.
J , A. ». 2 geórgica Dee. A. geórgica Desf. Arb. 2. p. 2 2 !., and Loild.
Cat. — I t differs from th e species in having the lobes o f th e calyx
lanceolate, and as long as its tube ; and th e styles only tomentose a t
th e base, being scarcely so there, and not protruded. A native o f
Georgia, which has been cultivated in th e Geneva Botanic Garden.
^ A. ». 3 campéstris Ser. A. campéstris Besser Enum. p. 46. No. 1425.,
Hort. Pi. Aust. 2. p. 2., and Lodd. Cat. ; A. Lessei'iàna Schott in Cat.
Hort. Vindoh. 1818, and Lodd. C a t.— Leaves
broader. Lobes o f th e calyx as long as th e tube.
P e ta ls narrower, longer, and white. Styles to mentose
a t th e base. T h e form o f the nut, according
to Besser, is various. Supposed to be a
native o f the South o f Podolia. {D e c . Prod.) This
variety is in th e H o rt. Soc. Garden, where it
was raised from seeds received from Dr. Fischer
o f Petersburg.
S4 A. ». 4 ábírica Lodd. Cat., and Lodd. B o t. Cab.
1599., and o u rj% . 431., is e x ta n t in some British
botanical collections, where it is an upright shrub,
about 6 ft. high, with wand-like shoots, clothed
with fine, long, willow-like, glossy, serrate leaves ;
on account o f which, and its upright habit o f
growth, th e la tte r being different from th a t o f all
th e o th e r species and varieties o f almond, it is valuable
in every collection where variety o f chara
c te r is desired. H. S.
XXVI. iiOSA'CEÆ : ,/í m v "g d a l u s . 263
o f th e species o f willow, b u t are o f a
tlarker and more shining green, a t least
in the original species. The stems are
n ot o f long duration ; b u t th e plant
throws up abundance of travelling suckers,
by which it is continued naturally,
and also propagated. I t is common
through all th e plains o f Russia, from
55° N. lat. to th e south of the empire.
In British gardens it is valuable on
account of its early flowering, the gracefulness
o f the slender twigs, on which
its flowers a re produced before the
leaves appear, and o f its easy culture in
any dry soil. Its fruit resembles th a t of
ri. commùnis, b u t is much smaller, and
42Ç-. A . n à n a . 4 23. A . n à n a .
rarely seen in England. The plant, which is usually called th e dwarf doubleblossomed
almond in British gardens, is Cérasus japónica flòre pièno, or, as it
is frequently named in th e nurseries, rimygdalus pùmila.
M 2. ri. inca' na Pall. The hoary duxn/Almond.
Ueulification. P all. E oss., 1. p. W. l Smith F l. Græc., t. 497. ; D o n ’s
Miller, 2. p. 482. ; Lindl. in Bot. R»g., 1839, t. .48. ,
Synonymes. A. n àn a var. incima Guldcnstad, an d Arh . B n t . 1st edit.
vol. ii. p . 674. ; A . tom en tó su la Lodd. Cat.
Engravings. P all. Ross., 1. t. 7. ; Flor. Græc., t . 477. ; Bot. Reg., 1839,
t. .58. ; and o u r fig . 424.
Spec. Char., 4c. Leaves obovate serrated, clothed with
white tomentum beneath. Flowers solitai'y. Drupe
compressed, pubescent. {Don's MUl.) A low deciduous
shrub. Caucasus and th e Levant, between Smyrna
and Bursa. Height 2 f t. to 3 f t. Introduced in 1815.
Flowers re d ; March and April.
Readily known from ri. n àna by its leaves being covered
with hoariness beneath. Increased by budding on the
common plum.
4 2 4 . A . in c à n a .
Î 3. ri. c o m m u 'n i s L . T h e common Almond Tree.
Identification. Lin. Sp., 677. ; D e e . P ro d ., 2. p . 530. ; D o n ’s Mill., 2. p. 482,
N. D u H am., 4, t. 29. ; an d th e plate of this tre e in Arb. B rit., 1st ed it., vol. v. ; and
All th e different forms o f the dwarf almond are low shrubs, seldom exceedin«
j r 3 feet in height. The leaves bear a general resemblance to those o f some
2 or :
o u r f i g . 4 2 5 .
Spec. Char., if-c. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, serrulate. Flowers solitary.
Calyx of a bell-shape. F ru it compressed, and ra th e r egg shaped. {Dec.
Prod.) A middle-sized deciduous tree. Mauritania, and in the mountainous
parts o f Asia. Height 20 ft. to 30 ft. Intro d u ced in 1538. Flowers
white or rose-coloured ; March and April. D ru p e brownish ; ripe in October.
In fine seasons th e fruit ripens on standards as far no rth as Derby,
and on walls a t Edinburgh.
Varieties.
¥ A. c. 1 amdra Dec. The bitter Almond. Amandier amer, F r . ; gemeine
Mandelbaum, Ger. — Flowers large. Pe ta ls pale pink, with a tinge
o f rose colour a t th e base. Styles nearly as long as th e stamens,
and tomentose in th e lower part. Seeds bitter. There are two
forms o f the b itte r a lm o n d ; one with a hard shell, and the other
with a brittle one. The tree is cultivated in th e South o f France,
in Austria, in Italy, in Greece, &c.. for its fruit, which is preferred
for some purposes in medicine and in domestic economy to th a t of
th e sweet almond, particularly for giving a flavour ; and for stocks
' for grafting th e o th e r varieties on, and th e peach, apricot, and even
th e plum. B itte r almonds are generally mixed with sweet ones, in
very small proportions, for making blancmange, &c.
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