Clinging Peach Tree

This short fruit tree grows up to 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall and lives for up to 30 years, with the oldest known specimen being around 77 years old. It is very resistant to disease but is susceptible to destructive insect infestation.

It has a slender, curved trunk covered in paper-thin, wrinkled, dark gray bark, and inside, the very dense wood is gray.

The branches trail down to the ground and are covered with large amounts of huge, very narrow and elongated leaves with serrated edges. The leaves themselves are gray with copper tips.

In early spring, it produces many medium-sized, turquoise blossoms with fan-like petals. They fall easily and have a powerful scent that smells like sugar.

In early summer it produces very large, circular fruit. The fuzzy peach skin is thin and sweet, and the soft peach flesh is bitter and spicy and powdery. The cream seeds are small and are scattered throughout the fruit.

The roots are shallow and widely spread, and overall the tree is sturdy and difficult to uproot.

Forests of this species feature the trees packed together densely, with grassy ground between them.