Prunus communis

Read about Prunus communis in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Prunus communis, Fritsch (Amygdalus communis. Linn. Prunus Amygdalus, Stokes). Almond. Figs. 161-163, Vol. I. Peach-like tree, 10-25 ft. tall, with gray bark: lvs. lanceolate, firm and shining, very closely serrate: fls. large (1 in. and more across), solitary and appearing before the lvs., pink, showy: fr. a large compressed drupe with hard flesh, splitting open at maturity and liberating the pitted stone (or almond). Asia. Gn. 50:312 and G. 29:291 (var. macrocarpa); Gn. 54:122. —Grown as an ornamental tree, but chiefly for the nuts (pits or stones of the fr.). There are double-fld., white- fld., and variegated-lvd. forms, also dwarf and weeping forms, under such names as albo-plena, roseo-plena, purpurea, compacta, variegata, pendula. The forms may be ranged in two classes: Var. typica, Schneid., the hard-shelled almond, grown mostly for ornament, although there are bitter-kerneled and sweet-kerneled forms (vars. amara. and dulcis): var. fragilis, Schneid., the soft-shelled or brittle-shelled almond, of which there are also vars. amara and sativa. See Almond. P. per- sicoides, Asch. & Graebn. (Amygdalus communis var. persicoides, Ser. A. persicoides, Zabel), is an old hybrid of P. Persica and P. communis, with foliage much like the latter but usually more sharply toothed, and fr. intermediate or perhaps more peach-like, usually ovoid- obtuse and little succulent. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

1. REDIRECT Prunus dulcis