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Prunus amygdalus
Almond (Prunus amygdalus) is a deciduous tree grown for its drupe seeds, which are commonly eaten as nuts. It thrives in warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters, and needs a period of winter chill to flower and fruit well.
The almond (Prunus amygdalus, syn. Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A.Webb, nom. illeg. non Prunus dulcis Rouchy) is a species of tree from the genus Prunus. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus Amygdalus, distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the woody shell (endocarp) surrounding the seed.
The fruit of the almond is a drupe, consisting of an outer hull and a hard shell with the seed, which is not a true nut. Shelling almonds refers to removing the shell to reveal the seed. Almonds are sold shelled or unshelled. Blanched almonds are unshelled almonds that have been treated with hot water to soften the outer skin, which is then removed to reveal the white embryo. Once almonds are cleaned and processed, they can be stored for around a year if kept refrigerated; at higher temperatures they will become rancid more quickly.
Almonds were one of the earliest domesticated fruit trees owing to their ability to be grown from seed, allowing their cultivation to have perhaps predated the advent of grafting.
Domesticated almonds appear in the Early Bronze Age (3000–2000 BCE), such as the archaeological sites of Numeira (Jordan), or possibly earlier. They were found in Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt (c. 1325 BCE), probably imported from the Levant.
Bitter almonds contain some 40 times the trace levels of cyanide found in sweet almonds. Extract of bitter almond was once used medicinally, but even in small doses, its effects are severe or lethal, especially in children; the cyanide must be removed before consumption. The acute oral lethal dose of cyanide for adult humans is reported to be 0.5–3.5 mg/kg (0.2–1.6 mg/lb) of body weight (approximately 50 bitter almonds for the average adult), so that for children consuming 5–10 bitter almonds may be fatal. Symptoms of eating such almonds include vertigo and other typical cyanide poisoning effects.
Almonds may cause allergy or intolerance. Cross-reactivity is common with peach allergens (lipid transfer proteins) and tree nut allergens. Symptoms range from local signs and symptoms (e.g., oral allergy syndrome, contact urticaria) to systemic signs and symptoms including anaphylaxis (e.g., urticaria, angioedema, gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms).
Prunus adenopoda · Red stinkwood · Prunus aitchisonii · Alabama cherry · Prunus alaica · Allegheny plum · American plum · Prunus amplifolia · Desert peach · Chickasaw plum · Prunus annularis · Taiwan Cherry
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Almond by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
