Almonds

The Almond (Prunus dulcis, syn. Prunus amygdalus Batsch., Amygdalus communis L., Amygdalus dulcis Mill.) is a species of tree of the genus Prunus, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae and native to the Middle East. Within Prunus, it is classified in the subgenus Amygdalus, distinguished from the other subgenera by the corrugated seed shell. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated nut of this tree. Although popularly referred to as a nut, the almond fruit's seed is botanically not a true nut, but the seed of a drupe (a botanic name for a type of fruit).