The peach tree, Prunus persica, is a deciduous tree, native to China, where it was first cultivated. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach. The peach is a species of the genus Prunus. The species name persica refers to its widespread cultivation in Persia, from whence it was transplanted to Europe. It is classified with the almond in the subgenus Amygdalus within the genus Prunus, distinguished from the other subgenera by the corrugated seed shell. Prunus persica belongs to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae.
Prunus persica grows to 4 - 10 m (13 - 33 ft) tall and 6 in. in diameter. The leaves are lanceolate, 7 - 16 cm (2.8 - 6.3 in) long, 2 - 3 cm (0.79–1.2 in) broad, pinnately veined. The flowers are produced in early spring before the leaves; they are solitary or paired, 2.5–3 cm diameter, pink, with five petals.
The fruit has yellow or whitish flesh, a delicate aroma, and a skin that is either velvety (peaches) or smooth (nectarines) in different cultivars. The flesh is very delicate and easily bruised in some cultivars, but is fairly firm in some commercial varieties, especially when green. The single, large seed is red-brown, oval shaped, approximately 1.3–2 cm long, and is surrounded by a wood-like husk. Peaches, along with cherries, plums and apricots, are stone fruits (drupes).
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