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The Peach (Prunus persica)
is a tree native to China that bears a juicy fruit of
the same name.
It is a small deciduous tree growing
to 5–10 m tall, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae
of the family Rosaceae. It is classified with the
almond in the subgenus Amygdalus within the
genus Prunus, distinguished from the other
subgenera by the corrugated seed shell.
The fruit is a drupe, with a single large seed
encased in hard wood (called the "stone" or "pit"),
yellow or whitish flesh, a delicate aroma, and a
velvety skin that bruises easily. The seed is red,
oval shaped and 1.5-2 cm thick.
The scientific name persica derives from an
early European belief that peaches were native to
Persia. The modern botanical consensus is that they
originate in China, and were introduced to Persia and
the Mediterranean region along the Silk Road in early
historical times, probably by about 2000 BC (Huxley et
al. 1992).
Cultivated peaches are divided into "freestone" and
"clingstone" cultivars, depending on whether the flesh
sticks to the stone or not; both kinds can have either
white or yellow flesh. Peaches with white flesh
typically are very sweet with little acidity, while
yellow-fleshed peaches typically have an acidic tang
coupled with sweetness, though this also varies
greatly. Both colors often have some red on their
skin. Low-acid white-fleshed peaches are the most
popular kinds in China, Japan, and neighboring Asian
countries, while Europeans and North Americans have
historically favored the acidic, yellow-fleshed kinds.
The three U.S. states with the greatest production
of peaches are California, South Carolina, and
Georgia.
Wikipedia contributors. Peach. Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia. Available at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peach&oldid=113591743.
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© 2002
The
American Society for Nutritional Sciences J. Nutr.
132:461-471, 2002
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