Prunus dulcis |
Rosaceae subfam. amygdaloideae |
|
---|---|---|
almond, almond tree, amandier, sweet almond |
|
|
Habit | Trees, not suckering, 50–80 dm, not thorny. | Shrubs or trees, sometimes subshrubs or herbs. |
Twigs | with terminal 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. |
alternate, sometimes opposite, simple, sometimes pinnately compound; stipules present or absent. |
Inflorescences | solitary flowers or 2-flowered fascicles. |
|
Pedicels | 1–5 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. |
torus absent or minute; carpels 1–5(–8), distinct or +/- connate (Maleae), free or +/- adnate to hypanthium (many Maleae), styles distinct or +/- connate (some Maleae); ovules (1 or)2(–5+), collateral, clustered, or biseriate. |
Fruits | follicles aggregated or not, capsules, drupes aggregated or not, aggregated drupelets, pomes, or aggregated nutlets, rarely achenes or aggregated achenes; styles persistent or deciduous, not elongate (elongate in Gillenieae). |
|
Drupes | gray-green, ovoid-oblong, compressed, 25–40 mm, velutinous; mesocarps leathery (splitting); stones ellipsoid, strongly flattened, pitted. |
|
x | = 8, 9, 15, 17. |
|
2n | = 16. |
|
Prunus dulcis |
Rosaceae subfam. amygdaloideae |
|
Phenology | Flowering Feb–Mar; fruiting Jul–Sep. | |
Habitat | Roadsides, canyons, grasslands | |
Elevation | 20–500 m (100–1600 ft) | |
Distribution |
CA; ID; WA; w Asia; n Africa [Introduced in North America]
|
HI; North America; Mexico; Central America; South America; Europe; Asia; Africa; Atlantic Islands (Madeira); Australia |
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.) |
Cyanogenic glycosides are usually present in Amygdaloideae; sorbitol is present. The name Amygdaloideae Arnott (1832) has priority over Spiraeoideae Arnott (1832), used by D. Potter et al. (2007), because Amygdalaceae (1820) is an earlier conserved name. Tribes 9, genera 55, species ca. 1300 (9 tribes, 38 genera, 361 species, including 20 hybrids, in the flora) (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 372. | FNA vol. 9, p. 345. |
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus | Rosaceae |
Sibling taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Synonyms | Amygdalus dulcis, A. communis, P. amygdalus | |
Name authority | (Miller) D. A. Webb: Feddes Repert. 74: 24. (1967) | Arnott: Botany, 107. (1832) |
Web links |
|