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| ALMOND TREE |
Latin Name : Prunus dulcis
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General Info The fruit lacks the sweet fleshy outer covering of other members of Prunus (such as the plum and cherry), it is replaced by a leathery coat, called a hull, which contains the edible kernel, commonly called a nut, inside a hard shell. The tree is a native of southwest Asia. The domesticated form can ripen fruit as far north as the British Isles. It is a small tree, growing to 4-9 m tall. The leaves are lanceolate, 6-12 cm long, and serrated at the edges. The flowers are white or pale pink, 3-5 cm diameter with five petals, produced in early spring before the leaves. There are two forms of the plant, one (often with white flowers) producing sweet almonds, and the other (often with pink flowers) producing bitter almonds. The kernel of the former contains a fixed oil and emulsion. The bitter almond is rather broader and shorter than the sweet almond, and contains about 50% of the fixed oil which also occurs in sweet almonds. Extract of bitter almond was once used medicinally but even in small doses effects are severe and in larger doses can be deadly, the prussic acid must be removed before consumption. The nut of the tree has also been used as a preventative for alcohol intoxication. While the almond is most often eaten on its own, raw or toasted, it is used in some dishes. It, along with other nuts, is often sprinkled over desserts, particularly sundaes and other ice cream based dishes. The sweet almond itself contains practically no carbohydrates and may therefore be made into flour for cakes and biscuits for low carbohydrate diets or for patients suffering from diabetes.
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Pruning
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Planting Info Spacing Soil PH Moisture Requirement Pruning Requirement
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