The common peach is a deciduous fruit tree in the rose family that is native to Asia and has many cultivars that provide excellent peaches or nectarines. While the fruit is edible the seeds and wilted leaves are poisonous especially if eaten in quantity. This is not technically a wild peach tree as it has been found that they have been cultivated as early as 2000 BC. There are now 100s of cultivars available today. This North Carolina Production Guide for Smaller Orchard Plantings from NC Extension has detailed information on planting, pruning and harvesting. The tree will grow quickly to 15-25 feet tall and wide with a rounded crown and upward-growing branches. It often wants to grow with multiple trunks but can be trained to a single trunk. Pruning is required to maintain a strong structure. The showy flowers appear in spring followed by the fruit in summer. The fall color is usually yellow. If growing this three for the fruit, be prepared to follow a spraying regimen as they are susceptible to many insects. They also require a specific number of cold days with temperatures below 45 degrees. For best fruiting provide the tree full sun in moist, fertile, well-drained, acidic soil. Use a appropriate cultivar for your edible garden. Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: Subject to many pests such as peach tree borer, plum curculio, oriental fruit moth, root nematodes, mites, and aphids. Very cold winter temperatures and late spring frosts often cause significant damage to the buds/flowers of peaches. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common diseases. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common pests. VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Nuts," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Prunus .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in. | Width: 15 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Open; Rounded; Spreading
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are 2-6 by 1/2-1.5 inch, alternate, simple with a long-pointed tip, toothed margin and 2 small glands at the base of the blade. Under surface may have a few hairs while the upper surface is smooth. The leaves tend to curl inward along the central vein
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Pink; White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Pink flowers in spring occur solitary or occasionally paired with 5 petals and appear before leaf-out. 1-1.5 inches across and pleasantly fragrant.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Gold/Yellow; Orange; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail
Juicy fleshy fruit in summer is yellow to orange, tinged with red with a large, rough pit (stone). They are fuzzy with hairs and called peaches. A recessive gene can cause the fruit to be smooth and hairless and they are called nectarines. Generally round or slightly oval and 3 x 3 inches.
Bark color
Dark Gray
Bark detail
The bark is gray with horizontal lenticels and becomes rough and scaly with age.
Stem color
Gray/Silver; Green; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Young stems are reddish and older stems are gray. New growth at the tips is green and smooth
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
China
Wildlife value
This is a larval host plant to Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus). You may see three flights from February-November in the deep south and two flights from May-September in the north.
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators
Play value
Edible fruit; Wildlife Larval Host
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit; Seeds
Harvest time
Summer
Fruit type
Drupe
Edibility
Fruit edible raw or cooked. The seed contains hydrogen cyanide and should be discarded
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Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
White Peach Scale Insect; Hickory Peach Gall Midge; Peachtree Borer; 2025 North Carolina Peach and Nectarine Disease and Pest Management Guide; Lesser Peachtree Borer; Greater Peachtree Borer in the Landscape
Disease problems
Disease and Insect Management in the Home Orchard
Problems
Frequent Insect Problems; Messy; Problem for Cats; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses
Poison severity
Medium
Poison parts
Seeds
Poison symptoms
The pits contain cyanide compounds, which are poisonous. If a couple of pits are accidentally swallowed, it will not cause poisoning. The pits are more poisonous if they are ground up/crushed or the seeds are chewed. Fruit that has not been pitted should not be blended into a smoothie. Symptoms include Gasping, weakness, excitement, pupil dilation, spasms, convulsions, coma, respiratory failure.