î :
Flowers almost sessile, solitary, or twin, rising from th e scaly huds earlier
than the leaves.— Tree, deciduous, beneath th e middle size, and not of lon<r
duration. Persia. “
Tlie peach and the nectarine are by some botanists made distinct species ■
n it there can be no doubt o f their being only varieties o f one kind, which,
kind IS Itself nothing more than an improved or fleshy almond ; the almond '
being to the peach and nectarine what the crab is to the apple, and the sloe to
the plum.
¥ 1. P. VULGA'RIS MUL The common Peach Tree.
M nitification. Mill. D i c t , No. 1. ; Doc. P ro il., 2. p. 631. ; D o n ’s M
Synonymes. Amÿpdalus P é is ic a L in . Sp. C77. : Pi-cho d uveteuse , Fi
L n g ra v in g s . N. D u ILim., 1 . 2 - 8 . ; Nols. J a rd . F ru it. Icgn. : tlie ]
I s t e d i t , vol. ï i . ; an d o u r fig . 427. '
Mill., 2. p. 483.
’r . ; P firsd ie , Gcr.
p la te o t tins treo in Arb. Brit.,
4 2 7 . P é r s ic a v u lg à rl!.
Spm. Char., 4e. F ru it clothed with velvety tomentum. A deciduous tree
Persia. Height 20 ft. to 30 ft. Cultivated in 1562, or probably long before
Flowers rose-co onred r Mai-eh coloured ; March annnOd April. uF,r.,u,;i»t r..e„dj a„„n.1d yellow ; ripe in
September.
Varieties.
¥ P. ». 1, the freestone common Peach, Pêche, Fr., has the flesh o f the
fruit parting from the shell o f the nut (the stone).
¥ P . ». 2, the clingstone common Peach, Pavie, Fr., has th e flesh o f the
fruit adhering to the shell o f th e nut.
¥ P . ». 3 flòre pièno Hort.—Flowers double.
ÜÉ P . ». 4 âlba Lindl.— Flowers white. A
hardy ornamental .shrub, with th e habit
o f an almond. Its fruit has little
merit.
¥ P . ». 5 fôliis variegàtis H o r t.— Leaves
variegated. f
• P . » . 6 compressa H ort., th e flat Peach ’
o f China ( f lo r t. Trans, iv. t. 19. ; an 1
428.), is chiefly remarkable for
the form o f its fruit, and for being
nearly evergreen in its leaves. In the
H o rt. Soc. Garden, against a wall, it
keeps growing thro u g h o u t th e winte
when th e weather is n o t too severe.
2 . P . ( v . ) l æ ' v i s B c c .
The smooth-slcinncd P each, or Nectarine Tree.
licnlification. Doc. Fl. F r ., 4, p. 487. ; D o n ’s M ille r, 2. p 493.
Siimmi/rncs. /(mygdatus P é rs ic a L am . D id . ; A . P e rs ic a N e c ta rin a A d .
Bruiînon, Fv. ; Poseo noce,
Engravings. Nois. J a rd . F ru it., t . 20. f. 2, 3. t . 21. f. 3, 4.
H o r t. Kew. ; P òche lisse.
Engravings.
Spec. Char., 4c. F ru it smooth. A deciduous tree. P e rsia . Height 15 ft.
to 20 ft. Cultivatetl in lS 6 2 ^ o r probably long before. Flowers rose-
coloured ; March and A|)ril. F ru it red and yellow; ripe in September.
Vaiktas^^ the freestone Nectarine (w ith th e fruit parting from th e n u t).
Pêche lisse, Fr. — T he Elruge is th e best variety.
¥ P . (w.) I. 2, the clingstone Nectarine (with the flesh adhering to th e n u t).
Brugnon, F r . — The Orange is th e best variety.
The different varieties o f peach and nectarine, when tre a ted as standard
trees in the o]ien garden, assume th e general form and character o f th e
almond : but, as they are more delicate, in consequence o f being fa rth e r re moved
from their aboriginal state, they are o f slower growth, form trees o f less
size, and are of sh o rte r duration. The nectarine, as a standard in th e open
garden, forms a smaller and more delicate tree than th e peach ; and th e doubleflowered
peach is o f less vigorous growth th a n most of the single-flowered
varieties, b u t very ornamental.
• G e n u s I I I .
r i R M E N I 'A C A Tourn. Tins A p r i c o t . Lin. Syst. Icosândria Monogynia.
Jdentificatmn. T o u rn . In s t., t. 399. ; Ju s s . Gen., 341. ; D e c . F l. F r ., 4. p. 485., P ro d . 2. p. 631. ;
S y n m y f i f i ’P r S n m ’sii. o f L in . and o th e r s ; Ab ric o tie r, Fr. -, Aprikosenbaum, Ger. ; Albicocco,
D n h 'a tio n . T h o genus is n am ed rlrmenia ca, from tho a p ric o t being originally from Arm e n ia . T h e
popular English, name was originally prcccocia, from th e Arabic, bcrlcoc/ic ; whence th e iu s c a n
bacoche, o r ilb ic o c c o ; and tho lin g lisb , abricot, or ap n c o ck , eventually co rru p ted in to ap ric o t.
Some piirsons derive th e nam e from prcecor, from th is fru it rip en in g sooner th a n m o st o th ers.
Gen. Char. Drupe ovate globose, fleshy, covered with a velvety skin, containin
ir stone, whieli is acute a t one end, and blunt a t th e other,
«; a n u t or .........
with a furrow ____ on on both 1
sides ; th e re s t smooth, n o t wrinkled. {Don’s M ill.)
Leaves simple, alternate, stipulate, d e c id u o u s ; when young, convolute.
Flowers almost sessile, solitary, or few together, rising before th e leaves from
scaly buds.—Trees, low, deciduous, or shrubs; natives o f E u ro p e and Asia.
The common apricot is a fruit tre e in general cultivation th ro u g h o u t th e
temperate regions o f th e globe, distinguished a t first sight from th e almond,
jieach, and nectarine, by its heart-shaped, smooth, shining leaves, and white
iiowers. There are several wild varieties, bearing flowers o f diflerent shades of
pink, chiefly cultivated as ornamental. The g reat beauty of both th e wild and
the cultivated sorts o f apricot is, th a t they come into bloom in B ritain before
almost every o th e r t r e e ; th e Siberian apricot flowering a fortnight, or more,
before the common sloe or almond.
1. A. VULGA'RIS Lam. The common Apricot Tree.
. D ic t., 1. p .2 . ; 532. ;Mill.,
//n n e n la c a L in . Sp. G79. ; Albicocco americano,Ita l.
L Ilam ., 1. t. 49. ; th e piate in Arb. B rit., Is t ed it., voi. v. j an d c
Identification. L am . D ie t., 1. p.
Synonyme. P rù n u s '
Engravings. N . D i
D e c . P ro d ., 2. p. 532.; D a n ’s Mill-, 2. p. 495.
........................ - u r in i i i r ) . Uni.
onr fig . 431.
428. P . V. romprcssa.
S])ec. Char., 4c. Flow e rs sessile. Leaves heart-shaped or ovate. (Dec.
Prod.) A middle-sized tree. Armenia, Caucasus, th e Iliinidayas, China,
&c. Height 20 ft. to 30 ft. Cultivated in 1548. Flowers pinkish w h ite ;
February and March. D ru p e orange and r e d ; ripe in August and Sept.
Decaying leaves reddish vellow. Naked young wood smooth, purjjlish.
U ' A n