LeRoy Comer, age 13, of Lake Charles, La., for his question:

HOW TALL DOES AN ALMOND TREE GROW?

Almond trees are straight, well proportioned and may grow to be 40 feet high. They have long, pointed leaves that curl, and showy pink blossoms in the spring that may be an inch and a half across. The blossoms appear before the leaves can be seen.

Although almond trees are grown in many areas, they are grown commercially only in regions where there is no spring frost. You'll find lots of orchards in California and in the countries that border the Mediterranean Sea.

Delicious almond nuts are the seeds of the tree. Each nut grows in a thin, smooth shell that looks somewhat like a peach stone. A dry, leathery hull covers the shell. The hull splits open when the nut is ripe.

Some almond trees produce sweet nuts while others produce bitter ones. Sweet almonds are a popular delicacy when toasted and eaten whole, or added to candies and pastries. Bitter almonds are not edible. Trees that produce them are grown only for oil, although oil is also taken from the sweet nuts.

Almond oil is used in flavoring extracts.