The specific name persica refers to its widespread cultivation in Persia (modern-day Iran), from where it was transplanted to Europe and in the 16th century to the Americas. It belongs to the genusPrunus, which includes the cherry, apricot, almond, and plum, and which is part of the rose family. The peach is classified with the almond in the subgenusAmygdalus, distinguished from the other subgenera by the corrugated seed shell (endocarp).[4] Due to their close relatedness, the kernel of a peach stone tastes remarkably similar to almond, and peach stones are often used to make a cheap version of marzipan, known as persipan.[5]
Peaches and nectarines are the same species, though they are regarded commercially as different fruits. The skin of nectarines lacks the fuzz (fruit-skin trichomes) that peach skin has; a mutation in a single gene (MYB25) is thought to be responsible for the difference between the two.[6][7]
^Haase, Ilka; Brüning, Philipp; Matissek, Reinhard; Fischer, Markus (10 April 2013). "Real-time PCR assays for the quantitation of rDNA from apricot and other plant species in marzipan". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 61 (14): 3414–3418. doi:10.1021/jf3052175. ISSN1520-5118. PMID23495652.