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Almond

Prunus dulcis, syn. Prunus amygdalus) is a tree native to the Mediterranean climate region of the Middle East, from Syria and Turkey to India and Pakistan, although it has been introduced elsewhere.

Almonds are also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seeds of the tree. In the plum genus, it is distinguished from other subgenera by the ripples on the shell (endocarp) around the seed.

The almond fruit is a stone fruit, which consists of a shell and a hard shell. The inside of the seed is not a real nut. Shelling almonds means shelling to expose seeds. Sell almonds with or without shells. The white almond is the shell removed almond, which is treated with hot water to soften the seed coat, and then removed to expose the white embryo.

Almond is a deciduous tree, 4-10 m (13-33 ft) long, with a maximum trunk diameter of 30 cm (12 in). The young shoots are green at first, purple when exposed to the sun, and gray the next year. Leaves 8-13 cm (3-5 in.) long, with serrated edges and 2.5 cm (1 in.) petioles. Flowers are white to light pink, 3-5 cm (1-2 in) in diameter, with five petals, solitary or paired, appearing in front of leaves in early spring. Almonds grow best in Mediterranean climate. They are warm and dry in summer and warm and humid in winter. The optimum temperature for their growth is between 15 ° C and 30 ° C (59 ° F and 86 ° f), and the buds need 300-600 hours of low temperature below 7.2 ° C (45.0 ° f) to break the dormancy.

In the third year after planting, almonds began to harvest economically. The trees are plump after five to six years of planting. The fruit ripens in autumn 7-8 months after flowering.