Peach, (Prunus persica), fruit tree of the rose family (Rosaceae), grown throughout the warmer temperate regions of both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Peaches are widely eaten fresh and are also baked in pies and cobblers; canned peaches are a staple commodity in many regions. Yellow-fleshed varieties are especially rich in vitamin A.
The peach probably originated in China and then spread westward through Asia to the Mediterranean countries and later to other parts of Europe. The Spanish explorers took the peach to the New World, and as early as 1600 the fruit was found in Mexico. For centuries the cultivation and selection of new varieties of peaches were largely confined to the gardens of the nobility, and large-scale commercial peach growing did not begin until the 19th century, in the United States. The early plantings were seedling peaches, inevitably variable, and often of poor quality. The practice of grafting superior strains onto hardy seedling rootstocks, which came later in the century, led to the development of large commercial orchards.
