American Persimmon, Common persimmon, Persimmon
Diospyros virginiana
Family: Ebenaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: White. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Oval, Pyramidal.
Diospyros virginiana is a deciduous Tree growing to 20 m (65ft 7in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in June, and the seeds ripen from October to November. The species is dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). and is pollinated by Insects, wind. The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 20
Where it is found
Dry woods, old fields and clearings, on light well-drained sandy soils. Found on most soil types from sands to shales and mud bottomlands.
Eastern N. America - New England to Florida, west to Texas and Kansas.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, Australia, Britain, Himalayas, Indochina, Indonesia, Macedonia, Nepal, North America, Russia, SE Asia, Sikkim, Slovenia, Thailand, USA. Native to the Central & Eastern United States.
How it is used
Food
Rating: 5
Fruit - raw, cooked or dried and used in breads, cakes, pies, puddings etc. About the size of a plum, the fruit has an exquisitely rich flavour when it is fully ripe (and almost at the point of going bad) but it is very harsh and astringent before then. The fruit may not ripen properly in a cool summer, though if it is frosted it normally develops a very good flavour. The fruit can also be harvested in the autumn, preferably after a frost, and bletted. (This is a process where the fruit is kept in a cool place and only eaten when it is very soft and almost at the point of going rotten). Much of the fruit on trees in a relatively sunny position at Kew after a relatively warm summer in 1996 was still not fully ripe, though it was very nearly so and ripened well off the tree. The fruit can also be dried and used in bread, cakes etc. The fruit is up to 4.5cm in diameter. Molasses can be made from the fruit pulp. An oil obtained from the seeds is said to taste like peanut oil. A tea is made from the dried leaves. It is high in vitamin C and has a pleasant flavour somewhat like sassafras. The roasted seed is used as a coffee substitute.
Oil: Oil
Coffee: the various substitutes that can be used instead of coffee.
Sweetener: includes sugar substitutes.
Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.
Medicine
Rating: 1
A decoction of the boiled fruit was used to treat bloody stools. (This probably refers to the unripe fruit, which is very astringent). The leaves are rich in vitamin C and are used as an antiscorbutic. A decoction of the inner-bark is highly astringent. It has been used as a mouth rinse in the treatment of thrush and sore throats. Used externally as a wash for warts or cancers.
Antiscorbutic: A plant rich in vitamin C that is used to counteract scurvy.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Vitamin C: Plants good for their vitamin C content
Warts: Used in the treatment of warts, corns etc.
Other
Rating: 3
Can be used as a rootstock for D. kaki. Wood - strong, hard, heavy, fine-grained, elastic, resistant to wear. A valuable wood, it is used for making wooden ware, turnery etc. It is used especially for making handles for golf clubs.
Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.
Soil stabilization: Plants that can be grown in places such as sand dunes in order to prevent erosion by wind, water or other agents.
Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
Requires a good deep loamy soil in sun or light shade. If being grown for its fruit, the tree requires a warm, sunny, sheltered position. It dislikes very acid or wet and poorly drained soils. Plants are somewhat tender when young, though dormant mature trees are hardy to about -35°c. The young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun. Dioecious, but the female tree can produce seedless fruits in the absence of a pollinator. It is likely that unfertilized fruits are more astringent than fertilized fruits since this is the case with D. kaki. Trees can start producing fruit when only a few years old, a specimen seen at Kew Botanical gardens in autumn 1996 was only 1.5 metres tall and was bearing a very large crop of fruit. This species is occasionally cultivated for its edible fruit, there are several named varieties. 'Dooley' grows well near the northern limits of persimmon culture. 'Geneva Red' also grows well at the northern limits of persimmon culture. The fruit is medium to large. 'Meader' grows well in cooler areas, it is self-fertile. Plants have a long tap root and are difficult to transplant, it is best to plant them out in their permanent position as soon as possible and to give protection overwinter for the first year or two. The ssp. D. virginiana platycarpa has sweet succulent flesh, it grows wild from Missouri to Arkansas. Special Features: Attracts birds, North American native, Attracts butterflies, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 9 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. A sprouting standard sending up shoots from the base. The root pattern is a tap root similar to a carrot going directly down. The root pattern is suckering with new plants from underground runners away from the plant.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Stored seed requires cold-stratification and should be sown as early in the year as possible. It usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 15°c. Pot up the young seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle into fairly deep pots and plant them out in early summer. Give the plants some protection from winter cold for their first winter or two outdoors. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Layering in spring.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Canopy; Secondary; Sunny Edge;
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 4-8
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
American seedless persimmon, Halle beth, Piakmine, Pohon eben amerika, Possumwood, Ougoufle, Simmon, Viržinski ebenovec.