Peach

fruit · summer · trees · sweet

Fuzzy and smooth cousins. Peaches and nectarines are actually the same type of fruit from the same tree species, but nectarines have smooth skin while peaches have that fuzzy fuzz. The difference comes from just one gene that controls whether the skin is fuzzy or not.

Deciduous tree. Peach trees lose all their leaves in winter to save energy and prepare for spring. This helps them survive cold winters and produce beautiful pink or white flowers when spring arrives.

Big stone pit inside. Each peach has a hard pit in the center that's actually called the seed's protective shell. Inside that pit is a single seed that can grow a whole new peach tree.

Different around the world. Peaches come in many varieties with different colors, sizes, and sweetness levels depending on where they're grown. Some are bright yellow, others are white or even red inside.

Sold separately at stores. Even though peaches and nectarines are the same fruit scientifically, supermarkets sell them in different sections and treat them like separate fruits. This makes shopping easier even though they're actually cousins.