Some interesting fruit trivia: nectarines are actually cultivars of peaches. They are of the same species, but due to a recessive gene, they do not develop the characteristic fuzz of a peach but a smooth skin, more like a plum. The mutation also leads to a firmer, spicier tasting flesh. Like peaches, nectarines can be either freestone or cling stone, depending on how embedded the pit is within the flesh.