Peach, Fruit
The peach is the fruit of Prunus persica, a species of fruiting tree in genus Prunus of family Rosaceae. It is native to China, and was introduced to Persia and the Mediterranean regions along the Silk Road in ancient time. China, Iran, France, and the Mediterranean countries, the United States, Canada and Australia are leading peach producing countries. Peach tree is a deciduous and self-pollinated tree, growing 4-10 m tall and not very cold-hardy, but it must have a chilling requirement in order to grow well. Semi-dwarf (3-4 m tall) and dwarf (2-3 m tall ) peach plants varieties have been developed by grafting for home gardener. The leaves of the peach tree are lanceolate, 7-16 cm long and 2-3 cm wide, and are pinnately veined. The five-petaled, pink flowers, 2.5-3 cm in diameter, are borne solitary or in pairs in early spring, before the new leaves appear. The flowers often are damaged or killed by freezes. If temperatures drop below -4°C, most flowers will be killed. Unopened flowers can tolerate a few degrees colder. The skin of the fruit is either velvety (peaches) or smooth (nectarines) in different cultivars. Nectarine is a peach cultivar that is often wrongly believed to be a crossbreed between peaches and plums. Some peach cultivars have fruits that are easily bruised, and some commercial varieties have firm flesh. The single seed is large, oval, red-brown, 1.5-2 cm long, and is surrounded by a wood-like husk. Peaches, cherries, plums, and apricots are drupes or stone fruits. Cultivated peaches are divided into two categories, clingstones or freestones, depending on whether the stone of the peach is stick to the flesh or free from it. Both groups can have either white or yellow flesh. White-fleshed peaches are usually very sweet with little acidity, while the yellow-fleshed peaches are sweet with an acidic tang. Consumers in China, Japan, and neighbouring Asian countries prefer the white-fleshed, low-acid peaches, and the acidic, yellow-fleshed peaches are more favored by the Europeans and the North Americans. Peaches and nectarines only ripen well on the tree, and are best if picked ripe, as they do not ripe well after picking. Nectarines are most often eaten with the skin, while peaches are mostly peeled. Ripe peaches have a creamy to gold undercolor, well-defined crease and a good fragrance. Unripe peaches have a green undercolor and will never ripen. Peaches are an excellent source for vitamin A and C, and a good source for fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and folate.  The 'Harrow Beauty' cultivar of peaches (Prunus persica) Author: Sage Ross (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported) | ||
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