Prunus persica Peach
Family
Rosaceae
Genus
Prunus [PROO-nus]
classical name for the Plum
Species
persica
from Persia
The peach (Prunus persica) is a deciduous tree native to the region of Northwest
China between the Tarim Basin and the north slopes of the Kunlun Shan mountains, where
it was first domesticated and cultivated. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach
or a nectarine. The specific epithet persica refers to its widespread cultivation in
Persia, whence it was transplanted to Europe. It belongs to the genus Prunus which
includes the cherry, apricot, almond and plum, in the rose family. The peach is
classified with the almond in the subgenus Amygdalus, distinguished from the other
subgenera by the corrugated seed shell. Peach and nectarines are the same species, even
though they are regarded commercially as different fruits. In contrast to peaches, whose
fruits present the characteristic fuzz on the skin, nectarines are characterized by the
absence of fruit-skin trichomes (fuzz-less fruit); genetic studies suggest nectarines
are produced due to a recessive allele, whereas peaches are produced from a dominant
allele for fuzzy skin. The People's Republic of China is the world's largest producer of
peaches.