**Taxonomy:**
– Binomial name: Prunus persica
– Synonyms: Amygdalus persica, Persica platycarpa, Prunus daemonifuga
– Varieties: aganonucipersica, compressa, scleronucipersica, scleropersica
– Subspecies: platycarpa, scleropersica
– Other names: Amygdalus nucipersica, Persica nucipersica, Amygdalus potanini, Persica potaninii
**Origins:**
– First domesticated in Zhejiang province, China
– Transplanted to Persia (modern-day Iran) and then to Europe and the Americas
– Belongs to the genus Prunus in the rose family
– Related to cherry, apricot, almond, and plum
– Introduced to Europe in the 16th century
**Fruit Characteristics:**
– Edible juicy fruits
– Known as peaches or nectarines
– Some varieties have glossy skin and are non-fuzzy
– Varieties with different characteristics
– Popular for their sweetness and juiciness
**Cultivation:**
– Deciduous tree
– Requires specific climate conditions
– Grows in temperate regions
– Cultivated for its fruits
– Prone to certain diseases and pests
**Culinary Uses:**
– Eaten fresh
– Used in desserts like pies and cobblers
– Processed into jams and preserves
– Added to salads for sweetness
– Used in savory dishes for a sweet contrast
The peach (Prunus persica) is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties), nectarines.
| Peach | |
|---|---|
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| Peach flower, fruit, seed and leaves as illustrated by Otto Wilhelm Thomé (1885) | |
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| Autumn Red peaches, cross section showing freestone variety | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Prunus |
| Subgenus: | Prunus subg. Amygdalus |
| Species: | P. persica
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| Binomial name | |
| Prunus persica | |
| Synonyms | |
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Synonymy
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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, 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 (endocarp). 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.
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.
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.