Prunus kansuensis can be difficult to distinguish from its close relatives P.mira (Tibetan peach), P.davidiana (Chinese wild peach), and P.persica (domestic peach), especially if only vegetative characters are used. Many specimens of P.kansuensis are shrubs, whereas most specimens of the other species are trees. P.kansuensis and P.mira have smooth endocarps (covering of the seed) but P.davidiana and P.persica endocarps have the typically pitted appearance seen in domestic peaches. P.kansuensis can be distinguished from P.mira by having externally pubescent (or rarely subglabrous) sepals; P.mira sepals are externally glabrous. P.davidiana mesocarps (the flesh of the fruits) dry out, the other species' fruits remain moist. P.davidiana has a number of other distinguishing characters, and is also genetically divergent from the other peaches.
