Ap´ricot

( Prunus Armeniăca ), a fruit of the plum genus which was introduced into Europe from Asia more than three centuries before Christ, and into England from Italy in 1524. It is a native of Armenia and other parts of Asia and also of Africa. The apricot is a low tree, of rather crooked growth, with somewhat heart-shaped leaves and se ile flowers. The fruit is sweet, more or le juicy, of a yellowish colour, about the size of a peach, and resembling it in delicacy of flavour. Some of the best varieties are 'Frog more Early', 'Moorpark', 'Royal', . The wood is coarsely grained and soft. Apricot trees are chiefly raised against walls, and are propagated by budding and grafting.