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cerisier des oiseaux, sweet cherry, wild cherry

peach, pêcher, unknown

Habit Trees, not suckering, 60–200 dm, not thorny. Trees, not suckering, 30–100 dm, not thorny.
Twigs

with terminal end buds, glabrous.

with terminal end buds, glabrous.

Leaves

deciduous;

petiole (14–)20–40 mm, nearly glabrous or sparsely hairy adaxially, glandular distally or on margins at bases of blades, glands 1–3, discoid;

blade oblong, elliptic-obovate, or obovate, (4–)7–14 × (2.5–)4–8.5 cm, base obtuse to rounded, margins doubly crenate-serrate, teeth blunt, glandular, apex abruptly short-acuminate, abaxial surface moderately hairy (especially midribs and veins), adaxial glabrous.

deciduous;

petiole 5–10(–15) mm, not winged, glabrous, sometimes glandular distally, glands 1–4, discoid;

blade oblong to lanceolate, folded along midribs, often falcate, (5–)7–15 × 2–4.5 cm, base cuneate to obtuse, margins crenulate-serrulate, teeth blunt, glandular, apex acuminate, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

1–3-flowered, umbellate fascicles.

usually solitary flowers, sometimes 2-flowered fascicles.

Pedicels

(14–)25–52 mm, glabrous.

0–3 mm, glabrous.

Flowers

blooming at leaf emergence;

hypanthium tubular-urceolate, 5–7 mm, glabrous externally;

sepals reflexed, oblong, 4–6 mm, margins entire or sparsely and irregularly toothed, surfaces glabrous;

petals white, obovate to suborbiculate, 12–15 mm;

ovaries glabrous.

blooming before leaf emergence;

hypanthium cupulate, 4–5 mm, glabrous externally;

sepals spreading, oblong-ovate, 3.5–5 mm, margins entire, ciliate, abaxial surface hairy (especially along margins), adaxial glabrous;

petals dark pink, obovate to suborbiculate, 10–17 mm;

ovaries hairy.

Drupes

dark red to purplish black, globose, 13–30 mm, glabrous;

mesocarps fleshy;

stones subglobose, not flattened.

yellow to orange tinged with red, globose, 40–80 mm, velutinous (glabrous in nectarines);

mesocarps fleshy;

stones ellipsoid, strongly flattened, deeply pitted, furrowed.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Prunus avium

Prunus persica

Phenology Flowering Mar–May; fruiting Jun–Jul. Flowering Feb–Apr; fruiting Jun–Aug.
Habitat Roadsides, stream banks, forest edges, disturbed forests Roadsides, fencerows, abandoned farms, streamsides, canyons
Elevation 0–1600 m (0–5200 ft) 0–2300 m (0–7500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CT; DC; DE; ID; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; UT; VA; WA; WV; WY; BC; NB; NS; ON; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; UT; VA; WI; WV; NS; ON; e Asia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cultivars of Prunus avium are grown in North America both for their attractive flowers, especially where the Japanese ornamental cherries are not hardy, and for their sweet fruits. Most of the sweet cherry crop in North America is grown in the Pacific Coast states and in Michigan and Ontario. Most varieties are self-incompatible and require pollen from a variety in a different incompatibility group in order to set fruits.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Peaches are cultivated throughout much of North America. Commercial production is diffuse, occurring in over half of the lower 48 states as well as in southern British Columbia and southern Ontario. Freestone peaches for fresh eating come largely from California, Georgia, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina; most clingstones are used for canning and are grown in California. Nectarines are a variety with hairless skin. The fruits are popular on picnics, and peach saplings are commonly encountered anywhere pits are discarded. Escapes are usually short-lived; some escapes form naturalized populations. Double-flowered cultivars are used ornamentally.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 368. FNA vol. 9, p. 371.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus
Sibling taxa
P. americana, P. andersonii, P. angustifolia, P. armeniaca, P. caroliniana, P. cerasifera, P. cerasus, P. domestica, P. dulcis, P. emarginata, P. eremophila, P. fasciculata, P. fremontii, P. geniculata, P. glandulosa, P. gracilis, P. havardii, P. hortulana, P. ilicifolia, P. laurocerasus, P. lusitanica, P. mahaleb, P. maritima, P. mexicana, P. minutiflora, P. murrayana, P. myrtifolia, P. nigra, P. padus, P. pensylvanica, P. persica, P. pumila, P. rivularis, P. serotina, P. speciosa, P. spinosa, P. subcordata, P. subhirtella, P. texana, P. tomentosa, P. umbellata, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
P. americana, P. andersonii, P. angustifolia, P. armeniaca, P. avium, P. caroliniana, P. cerasifera, P. cerasus, P. domestica, P. dulcis, P. emarginata, P. eremophila, P. fasciculata, P. fremontii, P. geniculata, P. glandulosa, P. gracilis, P. havardii, P. hortulana, P. ilicifolia, P. laurocerasus, P. lusitanica, P. mahaleb, P. maritima, P. mexicana, P. minutiflora, P. murrayana, P. myrtifolia, P. nigra, P. padus, P. pensylvanica, P. pumila, P. rivularis, P. serotina, P. speciosa, P. spinosa, P. subcordata, P. subhirtella, P. texana, P. tomentosa, P. umbellata, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
Synonyms P. cerasus var. avium Amygdalus persica, Persica vulgaris
Name authority (Linnaeus) Linnaeus: Fl. Suec. ed. 2, 165. (1755) (Linnaeus) Batsch: Beytr. Entw. Gewächsreich, 30. (1801)
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