Peach

The peach is a deciduous tree that bears edible, juicy fruits with varying characteristics; smooth-skinned varieties of the same species are called nectarines and are regarded commercially as a different fruit despite sharing the same botanical species. Peaches were first domesticated and cultivated in China during the Neolithic period, and the tree's specific name, persica, reflects its widespread cultivation in Persia, modern-day Iran, from where it was transplanted to Europe; it belongs to the genus Prunus, which also includes the cherry, apricot, almond and plum, part of the rose family. Peaches are relatively short-lived trees, usually not exceeding twenty years of age, and among fruit trees only the apple and pear have higher production volumes.