The almond tree is a fruit tree of Asian origin, famous for being one of the first to flower each year, turning the fields white and pink in late winter.
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Division | Magnoliophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Rosales |
| Family | Rosaceae |
| Genus | Prunus |
| Species | Prunus dulcis |
It is a deciduous tree, small to medium in size, that rarely exceeds 8 metres in height, with narrow, lanceolate leaves. Its white or pink five-petalled flowers appear before the leaves, between January and March depending on the climate.
Its fruit is a drupe whose edible part is not the flesh but the seed inside: the almond, protected by a woody shell.
It is native to central and south-western Asia and North Africa, although it has been cultivated since antiquity throughout the Mediterranean basin. In Spain it has become naturalised and forms part of the traditional dryland landscape in broad areas of the interior and the coast.
There are varieties of sweet almond, whose seeds are eaten as nuts, and of bitter almond, whose almonds contain amygdalin and are toxic if eaten raw in quantity. The early flowering of the almond tree is one of the first visual signs of the arrival of spring.
