(Note: The following is part of a series of articles looking at the history and evolution of agriculture in Georgia and Bulloch County.) The peach originated in China and has been cultivated since at least 1000 B.C. The peach tree is considered to be the tree of life, and peaches are symbols of immortality and unity. Peaches, or species Prunus persicus, are a fruit tree of the Prunoidae subfamily of the Rosacea (or rose) family, which includes almost all stone-fruits (most notably nectarines, peaches and prunes). The Romans planted peaches throughout their empire.