![]() The almond blossom is said to have supplied a model for the menorah which stood in the Jewish Holy Temple. It is described in the Book of Genesis as "among the best of fruits." According to Biblical tradition, the rod of Aaron bore sweet almonds on one side and bitter ones on the other if the Israelites followed the Lord's commandments, the sweet almonds would be ripe and edible, but if they forsook the path of the Lord, the bitter almonds would predominate. In the Hebrew Bible, the almond tree was a symbol of watchfulness and promise due to its early flowering. Especially early blooming of almond trees was believed to foretell a bountiful harvest season. ![]() In ancient Rome, newlyweds were showered with almonds to symbolize fertility. In those times, frankincense and myrrh sometimes were used as fixatives with almond oil. The Roman historian Pliny the Elder, who wrote extensively about the process of making perfumes, complained about the very popular almond perfume, saying that it was a disgrace that people wasted money on it when the scent disappeared so rapidly. ![]() Other related names of almond, which sometimes are seen on perfume product bottles include mandel or knackmandel (German), mandorlo or mandorla (Italian), amĂȘndoa (Portuguese), and almendro or almendra (Spanish). The name almond comes from the late Latin amandula, derived from Greek amygdala, and then Old French almande or alemande. Cultivation of the tree then spread along the shores of the Mediterranean into northern Africa and southern Europe and east to India, and in more recent times it was transported to other areas with favorable climates, including California. The almond was first domesticated about 5000 years ago, one of the first domesticated fruit trees, probably because it could be grown easily from seed, before the introduction of grafting. It has been argued that a common genetic mutation caused an absence of the glycoside amygdalin, and this mutant was grown by early farmers, first unintentionally in their garbage heaps and later intentionally in orchards. Wild almond species were harvested for food most likely they were processed by leaching or roasting to remove toxicity from most of the species. The almond tree is native to Iran and surrounding Middle Eastern countries, including Pakistan, Syria, Israel, and Turkey. After the fruit matures, the hull splits and separates from the hull, and a layer forms between the stem and fruit so that the fruit can fall from the tree. Inside this shell is the edible seed or nut. Inside the hull is a reticulated, hard, woody shell (endocarp). Its outer covering (exocarp) is a thick, leathery, grey-green coat called the hull. Almond fruit, technically a drupe (a fleshy fruit with thin skin and a central stone containing the seed), is 1.5-2.5 inches long. The fruit matures in the fall, 7-8 months after flowering. Almonds begin to bear an economic crop in the third year after planting, reaching full bearing at 5-6 years. Almond trees grow best in Mediterranean climates with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The flowers are white to pale pink, 1-2 inches in diameter with 5 petals, and appear at the end of winter. ![]() The leaves are 3-5 inches long and serrated. Its young twigs are green at first, becoming purple where exposed to sunlight, then grey in their second year. The almond ( Prunus amygdalus) is a deciduous tree, growing to a height of 13-30 feet, with a trunk up to 12 inches in diameter.
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