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  • From: Don Yellman <don.yellman@webformation.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Peach Identification
  • Date: Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:08:34 -0400

Mark:

Your description matches a peach called "Flat Wonderful", and I have one in
its 5th leaf. Source of my tree was Gurney's, though it may be sold by other nurseries
as well. I am quite sure this is a relatively new variety, developed at Rutgers
University.

Peento peaches are usually notably smaller than the round types, but Wonderful can
produce pretty good size peaches on a healthy tree when properly thinned. (I saw some
Peentos at Safeway the other day at $2.99 a pound that were about 1/5 the size that my
tree produces.) The most unusual feature of the fruit is its texture, which resembles
that of the older canning peaches grown in California, and is often described as
"rubbery". I don't like that rubbery word for this peach, which I prefer to
describe as firm. Flavor is excellent, and the firm texture makes this peach
particularly useful for applications such as fruit salads. I often peel the larger
peach varieties, but never peel Wonderful because it doesn't seem necessary due to it
smooth skin. The firm texture might also make it useful for commercial growers, since
it should be highly resistant to bruising from handling. The stone, which is a small
thing in the middle of the doughnut, comes free easily. This pea
ch ripens in Northern Virginia in early to mid August.

Wonderful is the most beautiful of more than a dozen peach varieties I have
grown. Blossoms are large and a very deep, purplish pink, and the early
leaves are dark purple, shading to green later in the season. My tree is
very vigorous and healthy, and shows no inclination to disease, though the
tree is still young and perhaps it's a little early to make that call. This
is a good year for my tree, and it is full of rapidly-growing peaches even
after rigorous thinning. I am bagging them now in shoe store try-on footies,
as I do with all my peaches.

I don't know where in its genetics this peach picked up the purple leaves and dark
blossoms. There is a peach rootstock called "Rutgers Purple Leaf", and I
speculated that the colors might come from the rootstock, but that doesn't make much
sense either. Whatever the case, I am very pleased with my Flat Wonderful tree, and
would recommend it highly for anyone who would like a peach with these characteristics,
as well as extraordinary spring beauty.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA




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