Plant · P-408

Nectarine

Prunus persica

Nectarine is a peach with smooth skin instead of fuzz, the difference coming down to a single recessive gene, so it shares the same culture, pruning and pest pressure as its fuzzy relative. The fruit is eaten raw, cooked or dried and rich in vitamins A and C, potassium, niacin and zinc, and because the tree is self-fertile a crop doesn't depend on visiting pollinators - the early spring bloom is simply a bonus nectar source. That bare skin comes at a cost in humid weather: without the fuzz, the fruit takes noticeably more brown rot and insect damage than peach does under the same conditions.