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peach, pêcher, unknown

cerisier des sables, dwarf sand plum, sand cherry

Habit Trees, not suckering, 30–100 dm, not thorny. Shrubs, sometimes suckering, 1–15(–25) dm, not thorny.
Twigs

with terminal end buds, glabrous.

with terminal end buds, glabrous or sparsely to densely puberulent (var. susquehanae).

Leaves

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.

deciduous;

petiole 2–10(–13) mm, glabrous or hairy only when young, sometimes glandular distally or on margins at bases of blades, glands 1–2;

blade elliptic, oblanceolate, or obovate, 2.5–8 × 0.8–3 cm, base obtuse, cuneate, or long-attenuate, margins crenulate-serrulate to serrate in distal 1/2–2/3, teeth sharp or blunt, callus-tipped, sometimes glandular, apex short-acuminate to rounded, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

usually solitary flowers, sometimes 2-flowered fascicles.

2–5-flowered, umbellate fascicles.

Pedicels

0–3 mm, glabrous.

3–19 mm, glabrous.

Flowers

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.

blooming before leaf emergence;

hypanthium campanulate, 1.7–3 mm, glabrous externally;

sepals erect to reflexed, semicircular, 1.3–2.8 mm, margins glandular-toothed, surfaces glabrous;

petals white, oblanceolate, oblong, or suborbiculate, 3–9 mm;

ovaries glabrous.

Drupes

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

mesocarps fleshy;

stones ellipsoid, strongly flattened, deeply pitted, furrowed.

dark purple to nearly black, subglobose or broadly ellipsoid, 6–12 mm, glabrous;

mesocarps fleshy;

stones subglobose, ovoid, or fusiform, not flattened.

2n

= 16.

Prunus persica

Prunus pumila

Phenology Flowering Feb–Apr; fruiting Jun–Aug.
Habitat Roadsides, fencerows, abandoned farms, streamsides, canyons
Elevation 0–2300 m (0–7500 ft)
Distribution
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]
from FNA
AR; CO; CT; DE; IA; IL; IN; KS; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; UT; VA; VT; WI; WV; WY; MB; NB; ON; QC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Varieties 4 (4 in the flora).

Opinion has varied as to whether Prunus pumila is best treated as one variable species (for example, H. Groh and H. A. Senn 1940; H. A. Gleason 1952; J. R. Rohrer 2000) or as two, three, or four separate species (for example, W. F. Wight 1915; M. L. Fernald 1923b; P. M. Catling et al. 1999). The plants vary in stem posture, twig indument, leaf shape, fruit size and taste, pit size and shape, and ecologic preference. Even though the morphologic characters show almost continuous variation, four varieties are recognized here based largely on differences in ecologic habitat and geographic range.

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

Key
1. Twigs densely puberulent (10× magnification); leaf apices usually obtuse, sometimes acute or rounded, blade lengths ca. 2.6 times widths; sandy pine-oak woods or barrens with open canopy, or adjacent fields and lakeshores.
var. susquehanae
1. Twigs usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely puberulent; leaf apices short-acuminate, acute, or obtuse, blade lengths ca. 2.9–3.7 times widths; usually in open habitats
→ 2
2. Stems prostrate to decumbent; leaf blades oblanceolate, lengths ca. 3.7 times widths; stones ovoid to fusiform, 4.5–5 mm wide.
var. depressa
2. Stems usually erect-ascending, sometimes decumbent or sprawling; leaf blades elliptic, obovate, or oblanceolate, lengths ca. 2.9–3.3 times widths; stones subglobose to ovoid, 5–7 mm wide
→ 3
3. Leaf blades usually oblanceolate, lengths ca. 3.3 times widths; shores of the Great Lakes on sandy, gravelly, or rocky beaches, dunes, and interdunal flats.
var. pumila
3. Leaf blades elliptic, oblanceolate, or obovate, lengths ca. 2.9 times widths; sandy prairies, oak savannas, rock outcrops.
var. besseyi
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 371. FNA vol. 9, p. 373.
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. 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
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. persica, P. rivularis, P. serotina, P. speciosa, P. spinosa, P. subcordata, P. subhirtella, P. texana, P. tomentosa, P. umbellata, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
Subordinate taxa
P. pumila var. besseyi, P. pumila var. depressa, P. pumila var. pumila, P. pumila var. susquehanae
Synonyms Amygdalus persica, Persica vulgaris
Name authority (Linnaeus) Batsch: Beytr. Entw. Gewächsreich, 30. (1801) Linnaeus: Mant. Pl. 1: 75. (1767)
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