This species is easy to identify if the fruit, the well known peach, is present. The flowers are often borne singly and with pedicel lacking or very short. The leaves are longer than 8 cm, long-pointed, simple, alternate and toothed. I have not had enough experience with this species to derive reliable leaf or twig characters for distinguishing it from the other Prunus species.

This is an alien cultivated species that rarely escapes. It has been reported outside of cultivation in Wisconsin from a single site in the extreme southern part of the state.