Prunus persica Batsch. [Syn.: P. domestica Linn.; P. armeniaca Linn.] (BHALLU)

Brhat trayi did not mention bhallu.  Bhalluka mentioned by susruta and vagbhata is identified as synonym of syonaka.  In the nighantus also, bhalluka is found to be the synonym for syonaka.  Madanapala’s bhallu is different from bhalluka and is identified as P. domestica (P. persica) on the basis of the synonyms alluka and raktaphala.  P. domestica is famous as alubukhara in Hindi. It is also an edible fruit like picu, nicula etc.  Though aruka is considered as P. persica by some scholars, the synonym raktaphalais not matching with aruka. More over, aruka which is claimed to be four types must be a different plant.

The peach (Prunus persica) is a species of Prunus native to China that bears an edible juicy fruit also called a peach.  The scientific name persica, along with the word “peach” itself and its cognates in many European languages, derives from an early European belief that peaches were native to Persia (now Iran). The modern botanical consensus is that they originate in China, and were introduced to Persia and the Mediterranean region along the Silk Road before Christian times. Cultivated peaches are divided into “freestone” and “clingstone” cultivars, depending on whether the flesh sticks to the stone or not; both kinds can have either white or yellow flesh. Peaches with white flesh typically are very sweet with little acidity, while yellow-fleshed peaches typically have an acidic tang coupled with sweetness, though this also varies greatly. Both colours often have some red on their skin. Low-acid white-fleshed peaches are the most popular kinds in China, Japan and neighbouring Asian countries, while Europeans and North Americans have historically favoured the acidic, yellow-fleshed kinds.

Botanical description – It is a deciduous tree growing to 5–10 m tall, belongs to subfamily Prunoideae (family Rosaceae).  It is classified with the almond in the subgenus Amygdalus within the genus Prunus, distinguished from the other subgenera by the corrugated seed shell.  Leaves: lanceolate, 7–15 cm long and 2–3 cm broad; flowers: solitary or paired, 2.5–3 cm diameter, pink, with five petals; fruit drupe, with a single large seed encased in hard wood, yellow or whitish flesh, a delicate aroma, and a skin that is either velvety (peaches) or smooth (nectarines) in different cultivars. The flesh is very delicate and easily bruised in some cultivars, but is fairly firm in some commercial cultivars, especially when green. The seed is red-brown, oval shaped and 1.5-2 cm long.

Part used –  fruit

Uses – Nutritious, tonic and alterative.

Chemical constituents –  Chemical analysis of Prunus persica heart wood resulted in the isolation of beta-sitosterol and its D-glucoside, hentriacontane, hentricontanol and the flavonoids naringenin, dihy-drokaempferol, kaempferol and quercetin.

Note : Important historical peach-producing areas are China and Iran, France and the Mediterranean countries like Italy, Spain and Greece. More recently, the United States (where the three largest producing states are California, South Carolina, and Georgia, Canada (southern Ontario and British Columbia), and Australia (the Riverland region) have also become important. Trees grown in a sheltered and south-facing position in the southeast of England are capable of producing both flowers and a large crop of fruit. Peach trees are the second most commonly cultivated fruit trees in the world after apple trees.