Practical
Plants

Diospyros virginiana

American Persimmon

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Diospyros genus in the family Ebenaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Ebenaceae
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
moderate
Height
20 m
Fertility
Self sterile, Insects, Wind
Flower type
dioecious
Pollinators
Insects, Wind

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

None known

Edible uses

Fruit - raw, cooked or dried and used in breads, cakes, pies, puddings etc[16][10]. 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[2, 3, 171, K]. The fruit may not ripen properly in a cool summer, though if it is frosted it normally develops a very good flavour[K]. 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[K]. The fruit can also be dried and used in bread, cakes etc. The fruit is up to 4.5cm in diameter[11]. Molasses can be made from the fruit pulp[10]. An oil obtained from the seeds is said to taste like peanut oil[14]. A tea is made from the dried leaves[2]. It is high in vitamin C and has a pleasant flavour somewhat like sassafras[12][10]. The roasted seed is used as a coffee substitute[9][10].

Product or use
Coffee
Product or use
Oil
Product or use
Sweetener
Product or use
Tea
Plant part
Fruit

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

A decoction of the boiled fruit was used to treat bloody stools[13]. (This probably refers to the unripe fruit, which is very astringent[K]). The leaves are rich in vitamin C and are used as an antiscorbutic[13]. A decoction of the inner-bark is highly astringent[5][14]. It has been used as a mouth rinse in the treatment of thrush and sore throats[13][14]. Used externally as a wash for warts or cancers[14].

Product or use
Antiscorbutic
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Warts

Material uses

Can be used as a rootstock for D. kaki[16]. Wood - strong, hard, heavy, fine-grained, elastic, resistant to wear. A valuable wood, it is used for making wooden ware, turnery etc[16][18][5][7]. It is used especially for making handles for golf clubs[5].

Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy, Secondary canopy

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - New England to Florida, west to Texas and Kansas.
Habitat
Dry woods, old fields and clearings[15], on light well-drained sandy soils[18]. Found on most soil types from sands to shales and mud bottomlands[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 4+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[4][11]. Stored seed requires cold-stratification and should be sown as early in the year as possible[17]. It usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 15°c[8]. 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[11]. Layering in spring[11].

Cultivation

Requires a good deep loamy soil in sun or light shade[11]. If being grown for its fruit, the tree requires a warm, sunny, sheltered position[K]. It dislikes very acid or wet and poorly drained soils[11]. Plants are somewhat tender when young[3], though dormant mature trees are hardy to about -35°c[6]. 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[K]. Dioecious, but the female tree can produce seedless fruits in the absence of a pollinator[1]. It is likely that unfertilized fruits are more astringent than fertilized fruits since this is the case with D. kaki[K]. 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[K]. This species is occasionally cultivated for its edible fruit, there are several named varieties[18][10]. 'Dooley' grows well near the northern limits of persimmon culture[10]. 'Geneva Red' also grows well at the northern limits of persimmon culture. The fruit is medium to large[10]. 'Meader' grows well in cooler areas, it is self-fertile[10]. Plants have a long tap root and are difficult to transplant[5][11], 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[K]. The ssp. D. virginiana platycarpa has sweet succulent flesh, it grows wild from Missouri to Arkansas[18].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Kavasch. B. Native Harvests. Vintage Books 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-394-72811-4

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  3. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

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  4. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

    ↩

  5. Vines. R. A. Trees of Central Texas. University of Texas Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-292-78958-3

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  6. Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.

    ↩

  7. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

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  8. Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991-00-00

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  9. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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  10. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8

  11. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  12. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

    ↩

  13. Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6

    ↩1↩2↩3

  14. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  15. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

  16. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  17. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩

  18. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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