Diospyros Species, American Persimmon, Date Plum, Eastern Persimmon, Wild Persimmon

On Sep 25, 2019, RandyAllen from White House, TN wrote:

I planted my first one in 1969, in Nashville TN. It was two inches tall and I thought I was planting a Nyssa sylvatica. Tree progeny are hard to identify sometimes. Smile. By 1993 it was mature. Now I have purchased more land and am owner and orchestrator of White House Arboretum in TN. I have a few here also. I posted a picture of my male, which is 42 feet tall, 10 inches dbh, and only 13 years old in 2019. WOW, they can grow fast, or slow, depending on site factors. I never watered or pampered it, because it is way outback in weeds, like Jewel Weed, Joe Pye Weed, etc.
I like the alligator skin bark which is broken up into little cubes, chunks, or blocks, and the tall skinny trunks that seem to meander to the heavens without a branch when found in the dense forest. The wo... read moreod is similar to its cousin, Ebony, except the light color sapwood is prominent and more expansive in Persimmon. The wood is extremely hard and tough and heavy, therefore is somewhat brittle when bent. Randy Allen of White House Arboretum.

On Jun 16, 2016, vossner from East Texas,
United States (Zone 8a) wrote:

Terrible to have in pastures in E TX. We treat with 24D Amin and have been successful but it is a CONSTANT battle.

On Dec 12, 2013, Rickwebb from Downingtown, PA wrote:

There is a small wild grove of American Persimmon near a clean downhill run of water on an elementary school's grounds in Downingtown, PA. In October I pass by and pick up fallen fruit from the ground, mostly lawn, take them home and eat them, they are so good. I love its bold outline and heavy dark scaly bark in winter.

On Aug 5, 2012, eatmyplants from Comanche county, TX (Zone 8a) wrote:

This tree can be seen in my area in small groves but is not really widespread. Since I figured out what it was a few years ago, I've never seen it bloom or make any fruit. Right now, the younger trees are very distressed from the extreme heat and lack of rainfall but they seem to always pull through.

On Apr 17, 2009, beaglenana from Los Alamos, NM wrote:

I have questions that I hope someone can answer for me about the American persimmon. I live in Northern New Mexico at an elevation of 7250 ft. I have lived in my house for 25 years and there has always been a bush underneath my bathroom window that had white flowers in the spring, but that's all. This spring after the snow was gone, but before the plant leafed out or bloomed I noticed fruit on the plant - old dried fruit from last year apparently. A LOT of fruit. In 25 years this plant has never had fruit before. I was astonished. Apparently I did not notice said fruit amongst the leaves last spring or summer. None of the neighbors knew what it was and so I took some of it to our county extension agent and he said he believed it to be persimmon. Well I pooh poohed that becuase th... read moree web says persimmons grow on trees. This plant has never gotten more than knee high. It spreads out, but does not grow up and is definitely not a tree. The agent said to bring him a cutting when it came out this spring. Well I just noticed after a spate of warm weather yesterday that the plant now has leaves and blooms so I cut some and took up to the county extension agent again. He was not in, but left me a phone message this morning that we was over 99% sure it was American persimmon. Back to the web I went. This site(Dave's Garden) says 30-40 ft trees with red-orange, gold or bright yellow blooms. My BUSH (NOT tree!) has white blooms that are very very similar to apple blossoms. We again have over 5 inches of snow on the ground today or I would upload a picture. Can anyone tell me if the American persimmon could actually grow on a low bush that has white blooms or should I tell our county extension agent he is insane? Thank you for any information.

On Dec 7, 2007, creekwalker from Benton County, MO (Zone 5a) wrote:

I love Persimmons! I have 3 in my yard and I collect the fruit to use in baking. It is a little work getting the pulp from the seeds, but worth it to me.

On Apr 28, 2006, gooley from Hawthorne, FL (Zone 8b) wrote:

Okay, why do I give D. virginiana a negative vote? I live in north Florida on 36 acres of former farmland, and a good patch of it is covered with persimmon suckers, with scattered trees elsewhere.. There are a few ragged-looking trees over twenty feet tall that might be parents to the suckers; only an isolated one well away from those bears fruit so far as I've seen, so maybe all the others are males: the tree is dioecious. The suckers return with a vengeance when mown down, and the bulk of the roots underneath them seems to be so great that spraying Roundup on every visible persimmon leaf in an area is far from a sure kill. (2,4-D is said to be effective too, and if it's cheaper I'll certainly give it a try as well.) In the spring the glossy leaves are attractive, but within weeks eve... read morery leaf is spotty -- some sort of disease? If so, it's far from fatal, but it's unsightly and can cause early leaf fall, leaving both the biggish trees and the suckers looking ragged. Perhaps it has something to do with the trees being in full sun.

Some people here love the ripe fruit. I haven't tried it: it's better after a frost, they say, but at least needs to be soft or it will be astringent. If more of my trees bore any fruit at all, and if they didn't sucker so aggressively, I might be a big fan of this tree. I have worked the wood and it's wonderful, being essentially a temperate zone ebony, though almost all of the wood is pale sapwood: it takes a very big tree to yield any of the black heartwood at all, and I suspect that no tree on my land will ever be big enough. In fact, I have seen foot-wide boards with tantalizing jet-black bits around the knots but mundane looking sapwood elsewhere. Very hard, heavy, strong wood that takes a good finish, mind.

On Apr 30, 2005, john_mueller from Eugene, OR wrote:

I HAVE A FEMALE TREE GROWN FROM SEED IN EUGENE, OREGON..I'M LOOKING FOR MALE CUTTING OR POLLEN...LAST YEAR IT HAD IMMATURE FRUIT.

On Apr 15, 2004, melody from Benton, KY (Zone 7a) wrote:

A great tree for shade in the summer. The fruits get messy in the Fall, so it is not suitable for planting in heavy traffic areas. Grows wild in West KY.

On Aug 13, 2001, midwestsnowbird wrote:

This is a native American tree. It has lustrous green leaves, attractive rough brown bark, and beautiful yellow to orange golf-ball size fruit that remains on the trees after the leaves fall. The drooping branches give this tree a graceful appearance. Trees grow 30-45 feet tall.

Pick fruit while firm, yet fully colored, allow to finnish ripening indoors. Enjoy the smooth-textured, sweet fruit (after it's fully ripened) in persimmon pudding!

Plant bare-root in the spring, in full sun. (It is difficult to transplant because of tap-root.) Space 15-20 foot apart. Tolerant of moderate to well drained soils.

Its cousin, the Japanese Persimmon is hardy in USDA zones 7-10 and doesn't grow quiet as tall.