The almond (Prunes dulcis, syn. Prunus amygdalus, or Amygdalus communis) is a small deciduous tree belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae; an almond is also the fruit of this
tree. The plant is classified with the peach in the subgenus Amygdalus within Prunus, distinguished from the other subgenera by the corrugated seed shell.The sweet fleshy outer covering of other
members of Prunus, such as the plum and cherry, is replaced by a leathery coat called the hull, which contains inside a hard shell the edible kernel, commonly called a nut. In botanical parlance,
the reticulated hard stony shell is called an endocarp, and the fruit, or apocarps, is a drupe, having a downy outer coat
The tree is a native of southwest Asia.