Almond Blossoms; Almendro en flor

Almond tree flowers together with last year fruit.

The almond is a small deciduous tree, growing up to 10 m in height. The young twigs are green at first, becoming purplish where exposed to sunlight, then grey in their second year. The leaves are 7–12 cm long, with a serrated margin and a 2.5 cm petiole. The flowers are white to pale pink, 3–5 cm diameter with five petals, produced singly or in pairs and appearing before the leaves in early spring. Almonds begin bearing an economic crop in the third year after planting. Trees reach full bearing five to six years after planting.
The fruit of the almond is a drupe, consisting of an outer hull and a hard shell with the seed (which is not a true nut) inside. The fruit matures in the autumn, 7–8 months after flowering.