Mold spores surround the stem of a slowly rotting nectarine. This is definitely not “peach fuzz”!!
Nectarines are a smooth-skinned peach of the family Rosaceae that is grown throughout the warmer temperate regions of both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. A genetic variant of common peaches, the nectarine was most likely domesticated in China more than 4,000 years ago, and nectarine and peach trees are virtually indistinguishable. A recessive allele (one of a number of alternative forms of the same gene) is thought to be responsible for the smooth skin of nectarine fruits, which lack the peach’s fuzzy trichomes (plant hairs). Nectarines have red, yellow, or white flesh and are a source of vitamins A and C, and, when they don’t look like this, they are commonly eaten fresh or cooked in conserves, jams, and pies.
