Skip to main content
Prunus dulcis

Prunus dulcis

8.4
A small tree with pink spring flowers that makes almonds you can eat
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : almendro
  • Many commercial almonds are harvested from Prunus dulcis grown in Mediterranean climates.

Examples

  • The orchards in California are filled with blooming Prunus dulcis each spring.

  • Gardeners admire the delicate pink blossoms of Prunus dulcis in early April.

  • The Prunus dulcis tree blooms beautifully in spring.

  • Have you ever seen a Prunus dulcis in full bloom?

  • Many commercial almonds are harvested from Prunus dulcis grown in Mediterranean climates.

  • Gardeners admire the delicate pink blossoms of Prunus dulcis in early April.

  • The orchards in California are filled with blooming Prunus dulcis each spring.

Synonyms

almond
vsPrunus dulcis
12 1.6

A small tree with pink flowers that produces edible seeds

emphasizes species origin and blossoms rather than the hull detail
sweet almond
vsPrunus dulcis
1 4.4

A small tree that makes edible nuts with a hard shell and pink flowers

focuses on the cultivated tree and blossoms not nut taste or shell
Amygdalus communis
vsPrunus dulcis
  • Archaic
9.4

A small tree with pink flowers that produces edible almonds

is the modern accepted botanical name rather than this older scientific label
Prunus amygdalus
vsPrunus dulcis
  • Specialized
8.9

A small tree that loses its leaves and has pink flowers and edible almonds

is the currently used botanical name instead of this older term
almendro
vsPrunus dulcis
  • US
9.9

A tree that grows almonds and has white or pink spring flowers

is the standard botanical description focusing on species identity not regional name

Surface Forms

Prunus dulcis singular

Morphology

Prunus + dulcis

This is a Latin binomial (scientific name) rather than a regular English phrase, and one constituent ('dulcis') is not a recognized English word for B1 learners. Even if a learner knew 'Prunus' as a genus and recognized 'dulcis' as meaning 'sweet' in Latin, that would not reliably yield the common meaning 'almond' or the full description of the tree, so the overall meaning is not derivable from the parts for typical learners.

Etymology

Prunus dulcis is the Latin name for the almond tree. The first part, Prunus, shows it is a fruit tree and the second part, dulcis, comes from a word meaning 'sweet', so this helps you remember the tree gives sweet nuts and pretty pink blossoms.