Prunus kansuensis

Description

Prunus kansuensis (Chinese: 甘肃桃; pinyin: Gānsù táo; literally: "Gansu peach"), sometimes called the Chinese bush peach, is a putative species of peach native to China. It is found in Gansu, Guizhou, Hubei, Qinghai, Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces. It is a shrub or tree 3 to 7 m (10 to 23 ft) tall, preferring to grow at 1,000 to 2,300 m (3,300 to 7,500 ft) above sea level. A genetic and morphological study has shown that it is conspecific with Prunus persica, the cultivated peach. P.kansuensis is being investigated as a source for rootstocks and for crop improvement due to its resistance to multiple diseases, to drought, and to frost. It is unaffected by peach mosaic virus, resistant to the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita, and tolerates winter temperatures down to −35 °C (−31 °F).