19)+almond

=​Almond=

//Prunus dulcis//

Rosaceae

A Year With an Almond Tree- A Podcast by Leah Julian media type="file" key="leah almond podcast.mp3" width="240" height="20"
 * [[image:almond_tree_in_bloom_at_tantur.jpg width="200" height="150" caption="Almond tree in full bloom"]] || [[image:http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2405/2235579448_e871170692.jpg width="248" height="170" caption="Almond blossom"]] ||


 * [[image:Almonds_003.jpg width="200" height="150" caption="Young almond fruits and leaves"]] || [[image:P4130057.JPG width="200" height="150" caption="Top of an almond tree"]] ||

Classification:
Angiosperm Dicot Diecious

Family Characteristics: Rosaceae
Leaves Flowers Fruit **Size:**
 * alternate leaves and stipules arranged in a spiral formation
 * simple or pinnately compound
 * serrated leaf margin
 * radially symmetrical
 * hermaphroditic
 * usually 5 petals and 5 sepals; bases of sepals and petals fused together to form a cup like flower
 * many spirally arranged stamens
 * flowers usually found in bunches; individual flowers very uncommon
 * great variety of fruits
 * single-seeded, soft fleshy fruits called drupes (peaches, plums), fleshy and harder pseudocarps (apples, rose hips), achenes (buckwheat, cannabis), nuts (chestnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts), accessory fruits (figs, strawberries)
 * almond fruits themselves are drupes because they are fleshy fruits that contain one hard stone (seed). The almond nut we eat is the inside of the almond seed.
 * Small to medium sized tree
 * Canopy is 10-15 feet wide

Identifying features:
Almonds are medium sized fruit trees that are commonly known for their blossoms which bloom in late February- March. The blossoms are usually white or a very light pink, have five petals and are very fragrant. Their leaves are long and skinny ranging from 1"-1.5" in width and 3"-5" in length. The tops of the leaf are usually shinier than the other side and have a smooth waxy feel to them. They are a medium green tone and have finely serrated edges. The bark of an almond tree is a grayish- brown color and has a coarse textured exterior. At Da Vinci the almond is tucked away on the side of the school where it is out of sight. The beauty of the almond is hidden by the girth of a large oak. If the almond were in a more central location on campus it would be able to grow better and would add a nice aesthetic value to the school.

Location/Habitat:
Almonds like climates that have mild winters and long hot rain-less summers with low humidity. In hot-dry climates like that of the California Central Valley, almonds are not as susceptible to disease-causing fungi and bacteria. Another predator of almonds are late spring frosts. Almonds can survive in hardiness zone 9a and 9b with minimum temperatures of 20-30 degrees fahrenheight. Almonds do not need a lot of heat to make them bloom so they will often be the first of the deciduous trees to bloom in late winter - early spring. If there is a frost later that spring then entire crops of almonds can be killed from the cold. Almonds like to live in deep loamy well-drained soils with a pH of 5.3-8.3. .

Water/Sun Requirements:
They need plenty of sunlight and a little water and they are perfectly happy. Ample rainfall or irrigation water is needed for almonds to produce healthy nuts at full capacity. In years with inadequate water supplies for other crops, farmers will often plant almonds because they can still yield under such conditions.

Reproduction:
Almonds cannot self pollinate so they rely on organisms like honey bees for pollination. When bees come to pollinate they collect pollen on their bodies and then fly to other flowers where the pollen (sperm) is collected by the female part of the flower. The eggs are then fertilized and will eventually become fruits that are able to one day become a whole new tree.

Additional Information:
Almonds originated in the Mediterranean area of the Middle East but have been found as far east as the Indus River. They became domestic crops during the Bronze Age and have been an important crop in that part of the world ever since. Even though the almond has great cultural significance for much of the Middle East the largest producer of almonds is California, producing about 45% of the world's almonds.

Sources:
http://daviswiki.org/almond_trees http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almond http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/ros.htm [] http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Prunus_dulcis.html

Pictures:
Almond tree in bloom- http://www.luffman.us/bobjones/images/almond%20tree%20in%20bloom%20at%20tantur.jpg Almond blossom- []

Created by: Leah Julian, Spring 2010