Side by side
Apricot or peach? How to tell them apart
Prunus armeniaca · Prunus persica
You can tell an apricot by its broad, oval to round leaf with a short tip, its white to pale pink blossom in March and its orange fruit with a smooth, flat stone; a peach has long, narrow, lance-shaped leaves, pink blossom and fruit with a furrowed stone.
The leaf tells you most: broad and almost round, with a short pointed tip, on the apricot; long and narrow like a willow leaf, often slightly folded along the midrib, on the peach. Both flower before the leaves, the apricot white to pale pink and the peach pink. Break a fruit open: the stone is smooth and flat on the apricot, deeply furrowed on the peach.
| Apricot | Peach | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, broadly ovate to round, 5–9 cm, with a short pointed tip, finely scalloped and glossy; reddish leaf stalk with small glands. | Alternate, 8–15 cm, lance-shaped, finely toothed, glossy green and often slightly folded along the midrib. |
| Flowering | White to pale pink flowers, single or in pairs, as early as March, before the leaves (March–April). | Pink blossom in March–April, before the leaves, singly or in pairs (March–April). |
| Fruit | Orange-yellow, velvety apricots (4–7 cm) with a smooth, flat stone, July–August. | Velvety peaches with a hard, grooved stone, in August–September. The nectarine is a smooth-skinned form. |
| Bark | Reddish-brown and smooth with horizontal lenticels, later dark and fissured. | Reddish-brown to grey, smooth with horizontal streaks. |
| Shape and height | Fruit tree, 3–6 m | Fruit tree, 3–6 m |
| Site | Full sun, any garden soil, normal | Full sun, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | – | Yes, for bees |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | May–August | April–August |
The best feature in each season
- Spring
- The apricot flowers first, as early as March, in white to pale pink; the peach in March–April, in pink. For both, the early blossom is the big risk: a single frosty night can cost you the crop.
- Summer
- The apricot ripens in July–August with orange-yellow, velvety fruit of 4–7 cm; the peach in August–September with juicy, velvety peaches, or smooth nectarines.
- Autumn
- After the harvest the leaf helps: broadly oval with a reddish leaf stalk bearing small glands on the apricot, lance-shaped and 8–15 cm long on the peach.
- Winter
- Both have smooth, reddish-brown bark with horizontal lenticels. From January to April, keep the rain off the peach with a small shelter, against peach leaf curl.
Where do they grow?
Both come from China and Central Asia and love summer warmth. In our region they do best in a warm, sheltered spot, ideally fan-trained against a sunny south-facing wall.
Which one for your garden?
- Plant them against a warm wall or in a sheltered, sunny spot, and cover the blossom with fleece on frosty nights. Prune the apricot during the growing season, never in winter; the peach fruits on young shoots and is pruned every year.
- For the peach, choose a variety with little susceptibility to leaf curl. The kernels inside apricot stones contain amygdalin, which releases hydrogen cyanide: do not eat them and keep them away from children.
Did you know? The nectarine is not a cross between a peach and a plum, but simply a peach with a smooth skin.
Read on
- Plant profile: Apricot
- Plant profile: Peach
- Apricot: when and how to prune
- Peach: when and how to prune
- Identification key