Almond Trees

The 8 trees at the foot of this hill are all types of almond. The almond is not a true nut. It’s really a “Drupe” and is descended from the peach and the plum. Unlike the plum which has a fleshy outer layer of fruit, the almond and has a leathery grey-green coat with a downy exterior. In the case of the almond, the outer coat is thrown away and it’s the seed that’s shelled and kept for eating.

Native to Iran, almonds were one of the earliest domesticated fruit trees. Farmed almond trees appeared in the early Bronze age and almonds were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb. The word ‘Almond’ is from the ancient Greek word Amygdalus, (amygdala is an almond-shaped portion of the brain).

A full-size almond tree is 4 to 10 metres tall and in spring the flowers are white to pale pink. Almond trees grow best in Mediterranean climates with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters, but they need a period of cool weather below 7 degrees to go dormant so that they can fruit again the next summer. Traditionally Armond trees have not fruited well in Britain unless grown in sun traps against a wall, but with climate change, it’s possible that these trees on this sheltered, south-facing slope will bear fruit and become part of a changing landscape.