Prunus dulcis |
Prunus subhirtella |
|
---|---|---|
almond, almond tree, amandier, sweet almond |
Higan cherry, winter-flowering cherry |
|
Habit | Trees, not suckering, 50–80 dm, not thorny. | Trees, not suckering, 30–100 dm, not thorny. |
Twigs | with terminal end buds, glabrous. |
with terminal end buds, hairy. |
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 5–10 mm, hairy, glandular distally or on margins at bases of blades; blade elliptic, oblong-ovate, or ovate, 3–8 × 1.5–4 cm, base obtuse, margins doubly serrate, teeth sharp, glandular, apex acuminate, abaxial surface hairy along midribs and veins, adaxial glabrous or with appressed hairs along midrib. |
Inflorescences | solitary flowers or 2-flowered fascicles. |
2–5-flowered, umbellate fascicles. |
Pedicels | 1–5 mm, glabrous. |
8–22 mm, hairy. |
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 leaf emergence; hypanthium tubular to tubular-urceolate, 4–7 mm, hairy externally; sepals erect to spreading, oblong-ovate, 2–5 mm, margins toothed, sometimes glandular, abaxial surface sparsely hairy, adaxial glabrous; petals pale pink, oblong to obovate, 8–12 mm; ovaries glabrous. |
Drupes | gray-green, ovoid-oblong, compressed, 25–40 mm, velutinous; mesocarps leathery (splitting); stones ellipsoid, strongly flattened, pitted. |
black, subglobose, 8 mm, glabrous; mesocarps fleshy; stones ellipsoid, not flattened. |
2n | = 16. |
= 24 (Japan). |
Prunus dulcis |
Prunus subhirtella |
|
Phenology | Flowering Feb–Mar; fruiting Jul–Sep. | Flowering Mar–Apr; fruiting Jun. |
Habitat | Roadsides, canyons, grasslands | Disturbed sites, abandoned plantings |
Elevation | 20–500 m (100–1600 ft) | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; ID; WA; w Asia; n Africa [Introduced in North America]
|
DC; OH; VA; e Asia (Japan) [Introduced in North America] |
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. 369. |
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Amygdalus dulcis, A. communis, P. amygdalus | |
Name authority | (Miller) D. A. Webb: Feddes Repert. 74: 24. (1967) | Miquel: Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugduno-Batavi 2: 91. (1865) |
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