The Almond tree Prunus dulcis or Amygdalus communis, is a small deciduous tree native to southwestern Asia, belonging to the family Rosaceae. It grows 4-9 m tall, and it is one of the earliest domesticated (fruit) nut-trees. Like the olive tree, the almond tree provided a crop for both food and oil with not to much effort. There are two forms of the plant, one that is producing sweet almonds, and the other producing bitter almonds.

Leaves are sharp with finely serrated edges, 10 to 12 cm long. Flowers are fragrant grouped in pairs mostly pink or pink-white but infrequently white. The almond tree is closely related to peach, apricot, plum, and cherry trees but unlike these family members- they produce fruits with sweet juicy pulp, the almond has a leathery and inedible skin wrapped around its pit (the edible part).

Like all other stone fruit trees almonds need a certain amount of hours of cold weather to really produce a good crop. Almond trees should be pruned every year to remove water sprouts, dead and interfering branches and for limb thinning. Almonds must be picked when well ripped and any skin covering the hard shell must be removed.

Almond, prunus dulcis

The key to successful fruit and nut production is the presence of a beneficial environment for the trees that bear them.

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