Peach

This article is about the tree and its fruit. For other uses, see Peach (disambiguation), Peachtree (disambiguation), and Peaches (disambiguation).

Peach
Peach flower, fruit, seed and leaves as illustrated by Otto Wilhelm Thomé (1885)
Photograph showing a peach in cross section with yellow flesh and a single large reddish brown pit
Autumn Red peaches, cross section showing freestone variety
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Prunus
Subgenus: Prunus subg. Amygdalus
Species:
P. persica
Binomial name
Prunus persica
(L.) Batsch 1801 not Stokes 1812 nor (L.) Siebold & Zucc. 1845[1]
Synonyms[2]
Synonymy
  • Amygdalus persica L. 1753
  • Amygdalus persica var. aganonucipersica (Schübl. & G.Martens) T.T.Yu & L.T.Lu
  • Amygdalus persica var. compressa (Loudon) T.T.Yu & L.T.Lu
  • Amygdalus persica var. scleronucipersica (Schübl. & G.Martens) T.T.Yu & L.T.Lu
  • Amygdalus persica var. scleropersica (Rchb.) T.T.Yu & L.T.Lu
  • Persica platycarpa Decne.
  • Persica vulgaris Mill.
  • Persica vulgaris var. compressa Loudon
  • Prunus daemonifuga H.Lév. & Vaniot
  • Prunus persica (L.) Stokes
  • Prunus persica (L.) Siebold & Zucc.
  • Prunus persica f. aganonucipersica (Schübl. & G.Martens) Rehder
  • Prunus persica var. compressa (Loudon) Bean
  • Prunus persica var. lasiocalyx H.Lév. & Vaniot
  • Prunus persica var. platycarpa (Decne.) L.H.Bailey
  • Prunus persica subsp. platycarpa (Decne.) D. Rivera, Obón, S. Ríos, Selma, F. Mendez, Verde & F.Cano
  • Prunus persica f. scleropersica (Rchb.) Voss
  • Amygdalus nucipersica (L.) Rchb.
  • Persica nucipersica (L.) Borkh.
  • Amygdalus potanini (Batalin) T.T.Yu
  • Persica potaninii (Batalin) Kovalev & Kostina

The peach (Prunus persica) is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China.[3] It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties), nectarines.

The specific name persica refers to its widespread cultivation in Persia (modern-day Iran), from where it was transplanted to Europe and in the 16th century to the Americas. It belongs to the genus Prunus, which includes the cherry, apricot, almond, and plum, and which is part of the rose family. The peach is classified with the almond in the subgenus Amygdalus, distinguished from the other subgenera by the corrugated seed shell (endocarp).[4] Due to their close relatedness, the kernel of a peach stone tastes remarkably similar to almond, and peach stones are often used to make a cheap version of marzipan, known as persipan.[5]

Peaches and nectarines are the same species, though they are regarded commercially as different fruits. The skin of nectarines lacks the fuzz (fruit-skin trichomes) that peach skin has; a mutation in a single gene (MYB25) is thought to be responsible for the difference between the two.[6][7]

In 2018, China produced 62% of the world total of peaches and nectarines. Spain, Italy, Turkey and Greece, all situated in the Mediterranean region, are prominent producers of peaches.[8]

  1. ^ "IPNI Plant name Query Results". ipni.org. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015.
  2. ^ The Plant List, Prunus persica (L.) Batsch
  3. ^ Yang, Xiaoyan; Zheng, Yunfei; Crawford, Gary W.; Chen, Xugao (2014). "Archaeological Evidence for Peach (Prunus persica) Cultivation and Domestication in China". PLOS ONE. 9 (9): e106595. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...9j6595Z. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0106595. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4156326. PMID 25192436.
  4. ^ "Almond Tree - Learn About Nature". 27 July 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  5. ^ Haase, Ilka; Brüning, Philipp; Matissek, Reinhard; Fischer, Markus (10 April 2013). "Real-time PCR assays for the quantitation of rDNA from apricot and other plant species in marzipan". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 61 (14): 3414–3418. doi:10.1021/jf3052175. ISSN 1520-5118. PMID 23495652.
  6. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Oregon State University. Archived from the original on 14 July 2008.
  7. ^ Vendramin, Elisa; Pea, Giorgio; Dondini, Luca; Pacheco, Igor; Dettori, Maria Teresa; Gazza, Laura; Scalabrin, Simone; Strozzi, Francesco; Tartarini, Stefano (3 March 2014). "A Unique Mutation in a MYB Gene Cosegregates with the Nectarine Phenotype in Peach". PLOS ONE. 9 (3): e90574. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...990574V. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0090574. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3940905. PMID 24595269.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference fao2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).