Apricot / ApricotsFood The apricot tree is small with a dense spreading canopy of leaves. The apricot tree also has flowers that have five white to pinkish petals. The apricot flowers grow individually or in pairs in the early spring. These flowers usually grow before the leaves. The apricot fruit looks similar to a small peach. The color of the apricot usually ranges from yellow to orange, but has a little bit of red on the side that gets the most sunlight. The apricot will also have some light fur or hair on the surface at the time it becomes ripe.The apricot is normally grown in areas with cold winters, but they can grow in other warmer climates. The apricot tree is able to handle cold better than the peach tree. A factor that limits the growth of apricots is spring frosts. The apricot tree tends to flower very early, because of this the frost may kill the flowers. Apricots are grown for commerical reasons in California and Washington, but can also be grown in other areas throughout the United States. The top three producers of apricots in the world are: 1) Turkey 2) Iran 3) Italy. In Europe, apricots used to be considered an aphrodisiac, which is believed to increase sexual desire. Apricots were used in this role in the play A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. Many also used to believe that apricots were used to begin child birth. |
Misspellings of the word: apricot