Smoothpit peach, Tibetan peach
Prunus mira

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

A tree. It loses its leaves during the year. It grows 3-10 m high. The small branches are green and smooth. They turn brown with age. They are slender and spreading. The leaves are sword shaped and 5-10 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. They taper to the tip and rounded at the base. There are teeth towards the top. They are velvety along the midrib underneath. The flowers occur singly and open before the leaves. The flowers are pinkish-white. There are 1-2 together. They are 2-2.5 cm across. The fruit is round and 3-4 cm across. They have a covering. They are juicy and sweet. The stone is oval and smooth.

There are about 200 Prunus species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in Sichuan and Yunnan in China. It is native to western China. It grows in mixed forests and mountain valleys and broad-leaved forests between 2,600-3,000 m altitudes.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Himalayas, Russia, Tibet

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten fresh.

It is a cultivated food plant.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds

How it is grown

In Yunnan the fruit are harvested in July and August.

Its other names

Local names

Behmi, Kamu, Reck, Rok, Yemaotao

Synonyms

Amygdalus mira (Koehne) T. T. Yu & L. T. Yu; Amygdalus mira (Koehne) Ricker; Persica mira (Koehne) Kovalev & Kostina;