The peach, Prunus persica, is a flowering plant in Rosaceae, cultivated for its fleshy fruit. Its spring flowers, narrow leaves and woody growth connect a familiar food to the reproductive structures of an angiosperm. The fruit is a drupe: its fleshy outer portion surrounds a hard stone enclosing a seed. The stone and the seed are therefore distinguishable parts rather than interchangeable names.[ref]
The peach is also a useful genetic study organism. Its ordinary body cells contain chromosomes, arranged in eight pairs. The Genome Database for Rosaceae provides DNA assemblies and associated genetic resources, allowing observations of a peach trait to be connected to a location in its genome.[ref]
For an anatomical comparison, cut through a ripe peach and distinguish the fleshy tissue, the hard stone and the seed inside. These structures connect the edible part to the flower's ovary and its ovule, rather than treating the entire fruit as a swollen seed. Comparing several cultivated trees also illustrates why a species name alone does not specify one fruit size, color or texture.
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