The peach (Prunus persica) is a deciduous tree, native to Northwest China, in the region 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 also 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 characterised 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. China is the world's largest producer of peaches.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
How lovely to see blossoms in spring, as many posts these days are talking about the fruit here about...which is abundant and oh so juicy this year!
ReplyDeleteAn example is this post... https://www.beyondthefieldsweknow.org/2018/08/thursday-poem-peaches.html
ReplyDeleteNice shot. I did not know that about China.
ReplyDelete