Prunus Persica
Botanical Name | Prunus persica |
Common Name | The Peach Tree |
Synonyms |
|
Collection Locale | Through out the INDIA |
Altitude | up to 3500 ft |
Seed Collection period | May June |
Seed Longevity | 1-2 year |
Seed Purity | 99 % |
Seed Treatment | n |
Usual Germination | 50- 70 % |
Characteristics: | Fruit, Ornamental, Timber |
| |
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.
Prunus persica grows to 4-10 mt tall and 6 in. in diameter. The leaves are lanceolate, 7-16 cm long, 2-3 cm 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).