Although February still feels a bit cold, Spring is around the corner. The Almond trees in the Mediterranean Garden and alongside the SNFCC Bike Lane are blooming and compose a unique spring scenery. The Almond tree is one of the most famous trees of the Greek countryside and is considered a symbol of hope, beauty, purity, and nature’s rebirth. It belongs to the Rosaceae family and is of the Prunus genus. The most common species is the Prunus dulcis, which grows in almost all warm and dry areas of the Mediterranean zone. Texas, Truoito and Ferragnes are some other very well-known almond varieties. .
It is a deciduous tree. Its height varies from 4 to 12 meters, its trunk has up to 30 cm diameter and its leaves are elliptical, lanceolate, and toothed. Its buds are distinguished into woody and flowering. The flowers are white or light pink and expand before the leaves. Due to the early flowering, the density of the flowers on the branches, and the whiteness of its petals, the Almond tree is considered an ornamental tree, too, the pollination of which is based on insects and bees.
The flowers are gradually followed by velvety green fruits, which ripen in late summer, revealing the hard nutritious fruit that they hide inside. Almonds are rich in iron protein and are collected from the tree with the appropriate shaking, then dried in the sun, threshed the hulls, and finally led to the peeling machines. From their pressing almond oil is also produced, which can be used for emollient and soothing purposes.
The Almond tree as a “dependable herald” of spring and love, inspired the poet Georgios Drosinis to write the "Blooming almond tree", set to music by George Kostis, entitled "Shake the blooming almond tree".
The blooming Almond trees were also a great source of inspiration and creation for painters, such as Vincent van Gogh, who in 1890 painted the famous "Almond Blossoms", to celebrate the birth of his nephew.
Greek mythology wants Dimofontas, son of Theseus and king of Athens, to have fallen in love with the beautiful princess Phyllis on a trip to Thrace. While he asked her to marry him, he had to return to Athens, where he stayed for a long time. Phyllis, inconsolable, that Dimofontas was delaying his comeback, died of grief. The gods, sympathizing with her, transformed her into an Almond tree, a tree with beautiful flowers, but without any leaves. Dimofontas, returning to Thrace, was informed of the death of his beloved one and ran straight to the almond tree, which he hugged and kissed. Immediately its branches were filled with green leaves. That is why the leaves of the Phyllis almond tree always sprout after the flowers, waiting for the embrace of her beloved Dimofontas.
