nectarine

White nectarines, whole and cut open

nectarine,  (Prunus persica variety nectarina), smooth-skinned peach of the family Rosaceae, known for more than 2,000 years and grown throughout the warmer temperate regions of both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. In tree shape and leaf characteristics the peach and nectarine are indistinguishable, but nectarine fruits look more like plums than peaches because of the smooth skin. The stones and kernels of the two fruits are alike in appearance. Nectarines have red, yellow, or white flesh and are a source of vitamins A and C. They are commonly eaten fresh, or cooked in conserves, jams, and pies.

As in peaches, there are clingstone and freestone nectarines. When some peaches are crossed or self-pollinated, the resulting seeds that carry the factor for smooth skin may give rise to nectarines, while those that do not carry this factor will be peaches. Nectarines may sometimes appear on peach trees as a result of the process of bud variation, or bud sporting, a vegetative deviation from the normal. Cultivation of nectarines is essentially the same as for peaches, with best results usually obtained on well-drained sandy or gravelly loams, enriched with nitrogen.

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Nectarines

The variety P. persica var. nucipersica (or var. nectarina), commonly called nectarine, has a smooth skin. It is on occasion referred to as a "shaved peach", "fuzzy-less peach", "juicy peach", or "Brazilian peach" due to its lack of fuzz or short hairs. Though fuzzy peaches and nectarines are regarded commercially as different fruits, with nectarines often erroneously believed to be a crossbreed between peaches and plums, or a "peach with a plum skin", nectarines belong to the same species as peaches. Several genetic studies have concluded nectarines are produced due to a recessive allele, whereas a fuzzy peach skin is dominant. Nectarines have arisen many times from peach trees, often as bud sports.

As with peaches, nectarines can be white or yellow, and clingstone or freestone. On average, nectarines are slightly smaller and sweeter than peaches, but with much overlap. The lack of skin fuzz can make nectarine skins appear more reddish than those of peaches, contributing to the fruit's plum-like appearance. The lack of down on nectarines' skin also means their skin is more easily bruised than peaches.

The history of the nectarine is unclear; the first recorded mention in English is from 1616, but they had probably been grown much earlier within the native range of the peach in central and eastern Asia. Although one source states that nectarines were introduced into the United States by David Fairchild of the Department of Agriculture in 1906, a number of colonial era newspaper articles make reference to nectarines being grown in the United States prior to the Revolutionary War. 28 March 1768 edition of the "New York Gazette" (p. 3), for example, mentions a farm in Jamaica, Long Island, New York, where nectarines were grown.

source: wikipedia