wildflowers in Israel,: Amygdalus communis, Almond – Fiori, флоры

Amygdalus communis,the Almond

(Hebrew: Shaked, שקד, Arabic: بادام)

The almond, Amygdalus communis, is a medium sized tree with narrow, light green leaves. In Israel the almond tree is the first of the fruit trees to blossom, it starts to flower in the first half of Februar and continues to do so for about a month, mainly before leaf-setting. The flowers are white or pale pink, 3-5 cm diameter with five petals.

Some ten weeks after the flowers appear, the fruit , a drupe(3.5-6 cm long) with a downy outer coat, starts to ripen. The kernel contains 50% fixed oil. The almond is highly revered in some cultures.

Among the Hebrews, it was a symbol of watchfulness and promise due to its early flowering. The Almond tree is referred to in the Bible as “Shaked”, meaning “hasten”, what explains the passage in Jer. 1:11-12: The word of the LORD came to me saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a rod of an almond tree.” Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.” The Hebrew for watching sounds like the Hebrew for almond tree.

The word “Luz”, which occurs in Genesis 30:37, and that sometimes is translated as “hazel”, is supposed to be another name for the almond. In Arabic the almond is called “Luz”. Almonds are mentioned six times in the Scriptures.

The first reference is in Genesis 43:11 where Jacob, in an apparent attempt to become a favorite with the ruler of Egypt, orders his sons to bring them some of the “best products of the land” including almonds.

The best-known reference to the almond is Aaron’s rod that budded (Numbers 17:1-11). This is miracle because the flowering, budding, and fruiting of the almond in nature are always differ in time.
The almond motif was part of the divine design for the lampstand in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:33-34, 37:19-20). Moses was instructed to make the bowls of the lampstand in the shape of the almond flower. The buds and fruits however,had also to be present.
The reference to almonds in Ecclesiastes 12:5 could be because of the masses of white flowers on the almond tree, an allusion to the white hair of old age, or it could mean “despised.”

Christian symbolism uses the almond as a symbol of the Virgin’s purity, from Numeri 17:1-11 (Aaron’s Rod Buds).

The almond-shaped aureole surrounding Christ or the Virgin is a Mandorla (Ital.’almond’), or ‘vesica piscis’. The shape has no intrinsic significance and was varied in early Christian art. Originally the mandorla represented the cloud in which Jesus ascended.

more pictures of almonds…