Prunus persica, Amygdalus persica

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

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Leaf: Alternate, simple, lanceolate, serrated, 3 to 6in long, often curved along midrib, shiny dark green above, paler below.

Flower: Pink to lavender, 1in across, solitary but often close together, appearing in early spring.

Fruit: Fuzzy drupe, 3in across, yellow and red, hard, ribbed pit inside encloses the seed, very delicious and juicy, ripens in mid summer.

Twig: New growth is red and green, later turns gray-brown, buds are blunt and gray fuzzy, spur shoots present.

Bark: Dark gray, initially smooth with elongated lenticels, later splits and becomes irregularly scaly.

Form: A small tree up to 15ft with a spreading crown.

The numerous cultivars include both fruiting and flowering peaches with double flowers. Prunus persica var. nectarina is almost identical to the Peach in habit and flowers but its fruit are smooth skinned, mostly smaller and with a subtly different flavor.

Similar plants:

• Prunus armeniaca, Amygdalus armeniaca (Apricot)
• Prunus dulcis, Prunus amygdalus, Amygdalus communis (Almond)
• Prunus webbii, Amygdalus webbii (Wild Almond tree )
• Prunus avium (Wild Cherry, Sweet Cherry)
• Prunus campanulata (Taiwan Cherry, Formosan Cherry)
• Prunus cerasifera, Prunus divaricata (Cherry Plum, Myrobalan Plum, St. Lukes Flowering Plum)
• Prunus cerasoides (Himalayan flowering cherry)
• Prunus glandulosa, Prunus japonica, Cerasus glandulosa (Chinese Bush Cherry, Chinese Plum, Korean Cherry, Dwarf Flowering Almond)
• Prunus ilicifolia (Hollyleaf Cherry, Evergreen Cherry)
• Prunus laurocerasus (Cherry Laurel)