It comes from a tree but a different one from Sweet Almonds. Raw bitter almonds come from (Prunus dulcis, var. Amara) while Sweet Almonds come from ( Prunus Dulcis, var. Amygdalus) The sweet almond tree usually has white flowers while the bitter almond tree has pink flowers. Both the bitter almond trees as well the sweet almond trees are small deciduous trees growing between 4 - 10 meters in height and were originally native to an area in the middle east stretching from Pakistan west to Syria, Israel, and Turkey. The bitter almonds produce a small quantity of fixed oil along with an emulsion that yields glucose, hydrogen cyanide (aka prussic acid) , and the essential oil of bitter almonds, which is nearly pure benzaldehyde.