Prunus persica Batch   x‘Ventura’                                  Rosaceae Rose Family China Peach

                                      March Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Tree to 25 ft. with glabrous twigs; lvs. oblong-lanceolate, 4-9 in. long, acuminate, finely sharp serrate when small or young, otherwise variously coarsely crenate-serrate, glabrous, shining above and somewhat lighter beneath, the petiole and sometimes the lower margins usually gland-bearing; fls. solitary, sessile, in advance of foliage, petals 5, pink, darker at base, +/- 1.5 inches across; fr. medium sized, +/- 2.5 inches in diam., flesh yellow, skin yellow with red blush; seed ‘freestone’, very hard, deeply pitted.

Habitat:  Developed especially for climate zones 18-24, southern California interior valleys to the coast, as described in the Sunset New Garden Book.  Zone 18 is the coldest and covers cold-air basins beneath the air-drained thermal belts and the hilltops above them.  Zone 19 is favorably situated on slopes and hillsides where cold air drains off on winter nights.  There is no ocean influence in either zone. Zones 20 and 21 have the same characteristics as 18 and 19 but have some coastal influence.  Zones 22 and 23 have coastal influence approximately 85 percent of the time and seldom record temperatures below 28 degrees F.  Zone 23 is one of the most favored gardening climates in North America for the growing of subtropical plants.  It could be called the Avocado belt.  Zone 24 is the climate along the southern California coast. (Sunset Editors, New Western Garden Book, 1984 edition pp. 24,29).

Name:  Prunus, the classical name of the plum and peach.  The peach was once thought to be from Persia, whence the names Persica and peach.  (Sunset Editors, New Western Garden Book, 1984 edition pp. 537,542).

General:  Rare in the study area with only two trees known; these on the north facing  slope in upper Big Canyon.  These trees are growing near a loquat tree and I assume they were all planted by someone in the apartments above.  None of the trees are irrigated but they probably get some water by seepage from irrigated plants higher up the slope and nearer the apartments.  The pick of hybrid ‘Ventura’ is based upon a comparison of the fruit characteristics with those of the hybrids in Sunset New Western Garden Book. The Sunset New Western Garden Book, 1984 edition lists 61 different peach hybrids. (my comments).        Trees and shrubs prevailingly of temp. climates mostly in the northern hemisphere, perhaps 150-175 species if the genus is defined broadly, of major importance in pomology and many prized for ornament; here are included the plums, cherries, peaches, apricots and almonds. (Bailey 537).        

Text Ref:  Bailey 542; Sunset Editors, New Western Garden Book, 1984 edition p. 397.

Photo Ref:  July 04 # 6,7,8; Mar-April 05 #1A,2A,4A.

Identity: by R. De Ruff

First Found: May 2004.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 553.

Have bloom specimen.

Last edit. 8/14/05.     

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                                       March Photo                                                                             March photo