Almond
Prunus dulcis
Rosaceae - Rose

Description

Leaves: Alternate; simple; lanceolate with a finely-toothed margin; 3-½ to 5-½" long; deciduous; glabrous.

Twigs/buds: Branchlets are pale or light green and hairless, turning purplish in the second year.

Flowers/fruit: Flowers light pink or white, usually single, up to 2" wide, with five petals. Flowers generally appear before leaves. Fruit is a drupe, oval-shaped, 1-3" long; flesh is hard, dry, and fuzzy; green when immature, turning brown at maturity; fruit has an outer hull that splits and falls off, revealing the almond shell we are more familiar with; within the shell is a smooth pit that is the edible seed (the familiar almond "nut").

Bark: Gray, fibrous.

Wood: Little information available.

General: Native to the Mediterranean region and northern Africa. Prefers a light, well-drained soil, but can tolerate much more adverse conditions. More drought tolerant than most other fruit trees.

Landscape Use: Planted in southwestern Utah, but also in the Salt Lake valley and presumably elsewhere in Utah. I have seen two large trees growing in a front yard in the Salt Lake valley, including the current (2014) largest specimen in the state; its trunk is twisted and gnarly, but attractive. Before that, I had only heard rumors of almonds growing in northern Utah. Prunus dulcis var. dulcis, the "Sweet Almond," is the typical ornamental almond that also produces the edible "nut", though certain cultivars are selected and grafted for commercial fruit production. Prunus dulcis var. amara, the "Bitter Almond, " is less common and does not produce edible fruit. Individuals from two or more cultivars should be planted near each other to ensure good pollination and fruit-set. May produce heavy fruit every year. Zones 6(?)-7.

Characteristics

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