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almond, almond tree, amandier, sweet almond

Hortulan or wild goose plum, Hortulan plum

Habit Trees, not suckering, 50–80 dm, not thorny. Trees, rarely suckering, 40–100 dm, moderately thorny.
Twigs

with terminal end buds, glabrous.

with axillary end buds, glabrous.

Leaves

deciduous;

petiole (8–)10–25 mm, usually winged distally, glabrous, usually glandular distally or on margins at bases of blades;

blade oblong to lanceolate, 2.5–10 × 1–3 cm, base obtuse, margins crenulate-serrulate to crenate-serrate, teeth blunt, glandular, apex acuminate, surfaces glabrous.

deciduous;

petiole 6–20 mm, hairy on adaxial surface, usually glandular distally, glands 1–5;

blade narrowly elliptic, lanceolate, oblanceolate, or oblong-obovate, (5–)7–11(–13) × (2–)3–5.5 cm, base obtuse to rounded, margins singly to doubly crenate-serrate, teeth blunt, glandular, glands inconspicuous, blackish, apex long-acuminate, abaxial surface ± hairy along midribs and veins, adaxial glabrous or with hairs along midribs.

Inflorescences

solitary flowers or 2-flowered fascicles.

2–4-flowered, umbellate fascicles.

Pedicels

1–5 mm, glabrous.

8–20 mm, glabrous.

Flowers

blooming before leaf emergence;

hypanthium cupulate, 4–7 mm, glabrous externally;

sepals erect-spreading to spreading, oblong-ovate, 4–8 mm, margins entire, tomentose, surfaces glabrous;

petals pink to nearly white, obovate, elliptic, or suborbiculate, 12–25 mm;

ovaries hairy.

blooming before or at leaf emergence;

hypanthium campanulate, 2–3 mm, glabrous externally;

sepals erect to reflexed, ovate, 1.5–3 mm, margins glandular-toothed, abaxial surface glabrous or sparsely hairy, adaxial densely hairy at bases;

petals white, obovate, 4–9 mm;

ovaries glabrous.

Drupes

gray-green, ovoid-oblong, compressed, 25–40 mm, velutinous;

mesocarps leathery (splitting);

stones ellipsoid, strongly flattened, pitted.

red to yellowish with white dots, not or only slightly glaucous, globose, 20–30(–40) mm, glabrous;

mesocarps fleshy;

stones ovoid-ellipsoid, ± flattened.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Prunus dulcis

Prunus hortulana

Phenology Flowering Feb–Mar; fruiting Jul–Sep. Flowering Apr–May; fruiting Aug–Sep.
Habitat Roadsides, canyons, grasslands Roadside thickets, flood plains, open woodlands
Elevation 20–500 m (100–1600 ft) 50–500 m (200–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; WA; w Asia; n Africa [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MI; MO; NE; OH; OK; TN; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The United States now dominates world almond production with over 40% of the annual crop, all of it grown in or near the Central Valley of California. The in-shell “nuts” sold in stores are the pits of drupes with the leathery mesocarp removed. Almond is among the earliest blossoming trees and one of the first signs of spring in areas where it is grown.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 372. FNA vol. 9, p. 382.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus
Sibling taxa
P. americana, P. andersonii, P. angustifolia, P. armeniaca, P. avium, P. caroliniana, P. cerasifera, P. cerasus, P. domestica, P. emarginata, P. eremophila, P. fasciculata, P. fremontii, P. geniculata, P. glandulosa, P. gracilis, P. havardii, P. hortulana, P. ilicifolia, P. laurocerasus, P. lusitanica, P. mahaleb, P. maritima, P. mexicana, P. minutiflora, P. murrayana, P. myrtifolia, P. nigra, P. padus, P. pensylvanica, P. persica, P. pumila, P. rivularis, P. serotina, P. speciosa, P. spinosa, P. subcordata, P. subhirtella, P. texana, P. tomentosa, P. umbellata, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
P. americana, P. andersonii, P. angustifolia, P. armeniaca, P. avium, P. caroliniana, P. cerasifera, P. cerasus, P. domestica, P. dulcis, P. emarginata, P. eremophila, P. fasciculata, P. fremontii, P. geniculata, P. glandulosa, P. gracilis, P. havardii, P. ilicifolia, P. laurocerasus, P. lusitanica, P. mahaleb, P. maritima, P. mexicana, P. minutiflora, P. murrayana, P. myrtifolia, P. nigra, P. padus, P. pensylvanica, P. persica, P. pumila, P. rivularis, P. serotina, P. speciosa, P. spinosa, P. subcordata, P. subhirtella, P. texana, P. tomentosa, P. umbellata, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
Synonyms Amygdalus dulcis, A. communis, P. amygdalus P. hortulana var. mineri
Name authority (Miller) D. A. Webb: Feddes Repert. 74: 24. (1967) L. H. Bailey: Gard. & Forest 5: 90. (1892)
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