Common Persimmon Tree

Description

Botanical Name:     Diospyros virginiana

Common Name:     Common Persimmon, Eastern Persimmon, Possumwood, Date Plum, Winter Plum, Jove’s Fruit, American Persimmon

Description:     Common persimmon is a medium to large deciduous tree native to Florida. Young trees are distinctively pyramidal but become oval with age. The leaves are a dark glossy green that can develop yellow, orange, to red-purple fall color before they drop off for the winter. Grows in sun to part sun to 35-60 feet tall x 25-35 feet wide. On old trunks the bark is thick and dark-gray to almost black and broken into scaly, squarish blocks. This tree can live up to 100 years. Well established trees have good hurricane wind resistance because of their deep tap root.

The yellowish/white flowers bloom in the spring, with the fruit being set in the fall. Common persimmons start setting fruit when they’re 3-9 years old. Trees in 3-gallon containers are 3-5 years old. Persimmons are dioecious, which means you need both male and female trees in your area for the female trees to set fruit. My suppliers don’t sell them as male/female. One way to tell them apart is male flowers are usually clusters of three, while female flowers are individual. Of course, only the females will bear fruit in the fall.

The large, orange, edible fruit attracts wildlife such as possums, raccoons, skunks, deer, and birds. Has special value to honey bees. Is host plant for Luna moth caterpillars.

When ripe, the sweet fruit of Persimmon somewhat tastes like dates or figs. Immature fruit contains tannin and is strongly astringent. Persimmons are best eaten fresh off the tree. They are used to make puddings, cakes, and beverages. Native Americans made persimmon bread and stored the dried fruit like prunes.

Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Moderately tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray.

This plant in 3-gallon containers is 1.5 – 3 feet tall and is 3 – 5 years old.

This plant in 7-gallon containers is 4 – 6 feet tall.

Plant Lore: Principal uses of the wood are for golf-club heads, shuttles for textile weaving, and furniture veneer. The word “persimmon” is of Algonquian origin, while the genus name Diospyros, from the Greek, means “fruit of the god Zeus.”