Plant · P-407

Almond

Prunus amygdalus

Almond flowers earlier than almost any other cultivated tree, which is its biggest weakness as much as its gift to early pollinators - a warm spell followed by a late frost removes the crop, which is why total Texas almond acreage runs only 8 to 12 acres despite a climate that otherwise suits the tree. The seed is eaten raw, roasted, sprouted or dried and ground into a powder for confectionery, with an edible oil and gum alongside it. The hulls also carry real weight as livestock feed, worth about 60 percent of the energy of maize grain for dairy cows, though the kernels and oil meal must be cooked first since raw almond releases cyanide.