Diospyros virginiana

Diospyros virginianais apersimmonspeciescommonly called theAmerican persimmon,common persimmon,eastern persimmon,simmon,possumwood,possum apples,orsugar plum.It ranges from southernConnecticuttoFlorida, and  west toTexas,Louisiana,Oklahoma,Kansas, andIowa. The tree grows in the wild but has been cultivated for its fruit and wood since prehistoric times byNative Americans.
Diospyros virginianagrows to 20 m (66 ft), in well-drained soil. The tree is typicallydioecious, so one must have both male and female plants to obtain fruit. Mostcultivarsareparthenocarpic(setting seedless fruit without pollination). The fragrant flowers arepollinatedby insects and wind. Fruiting typically begins when the tree is about 6 years old.
The fruit is round or oval and usually orange-yellow, sometimes bluish, and from2 to 6 cm (3⁄4to2+1⁄4in) in diameter. Both the tree and the fruit are referred to as persimmons, with the latter appearing in desserts and cuisine in theU.S. SouthandMidwest.
Commercial varieties include the very productive Early Golden, the productive John Rick, Miller, Woolbright and the Ennis, a seedless variety. Another nickname of the American persimmon, 'date-plum' also refers to a persimmon species found in South Asia and South Europe,Diospyros lotus. Today, persimmons are also grown on small farms as a heritage crop.
The common persimmon is a generally small to medium sized tree, usually 30 to 80 feet (9 to 24 m) in height, but reaching 115 feet (35 m) west of the southern Mississippi.It has a short, slender trunk and spreading, often pendulous branches, which form a broad or narrow, round-topped canopy. The roots are thick, fleshy and stoloniferous. The species has a shrubby growth form.The plant has oval entire leaves, and unisexual flowers on short stalks. In the male flowers, which are numerous, the stamens are sixteen in number and arranged in pairs; the female flowers are solitary, with traces of stamens, and a smooth ovary with one ovule in each of the eight cells—the ovary is surmounted by four styles, which are hairy at the base. The fruit-stalk is very short, bearing asubglobosefruit an inch in diameter or a bit larger, of an orange-yellow color, ranging to bluish, and with a sweetish astringent pulp.  It is surrounded at the base by the persistent calyx-lobes, which increase in size as the fruit ripens.  The astringency renders the fruit somewhat unpalatable, but after it has been subjected to the action of frost, or has become partially rotted or "bletted" like amedlar, its flavor is improved.
There are two races of American persimmon: thetetraploid(60-chromosome) race is centered in the southern Appalachian region, while the hexaploid (90-chromosome) race generally occupies a range north and west of the tetraploid range.The boundary between these races has not been well defined except in Kentucky, where hexaploid persimmons were in the majority inBullitt Countybut were not present inBarren Countyto its south norFranklin Countyto its east.
It has been observed that the tetraploid trees tend to grow much taller than the hexaploid trees and have smaller fruit,but no formal research has been done into these differences of traits.
The vast majority of named American Persimmon cultivars are hexaploid, with the only known tetraploid cultivars being Ennis Seedless, Weeping, Sugar Bear, and SFES.
The tree is very common in the South Atlantic and Gulf states, and attains its largest size in the basin of theMississippi River.Its habitat is southern, at the turn of the 20th century it appeared along the coast fromConnecticuttoFlorida; west of the Alleghenies it is found in southernOhioand along through southeasternIowaand southernMissouri; and inLouisiana, eastern Kansas and Oklahoma, where it grew tallest.
Its fossil remains have been found inMiocenerocks of Greenland and Alaska and inCretaceousformations in Nebraska.
Diospyros virginianais considered to be anevolutionary anachronismthat was consumed by one or more of thePleistocene megafaunathat roamed the North American continent until 10,000 years ago. A 2015 study found that passage of persimmon seeds through the gut of modern elephants increased the rate of seed germination and decreased time to sprouting, which supports the idea that Pleistocene members of theelephant familywere the ghost partner who accomplished seed dispersal prior to extinction of the North American members of the elephant family.
The American persimmon mostly grows wild. Experimental research stations in the 1890s tested native varieties of persimmon, but interest in cultivation of the native persimmon has been limited. Newly planted persimmon trees take a relatively long time to bear fruit. There are many sorts of fruit trees that are easier to grow for commercial purposes. Wild varieties contain a lot of seeds, making the processing of fruit pulp used in food and beverage manufacture more difficult. Cultivation has reduced the number of seeds, and some varieties have developed a very sweet flavor profile without the dreaded astringency of wild persimmon. Harvested fruits are shelf durable.
The tree prefers light, sandy, well-drained soil, but will grow in rich southern bottom lands.
The tree is greatly inclined to vary in the character and quality of its fruit, which varies in size from that of a large cherry to a small apple.  Some trees in the south produce fruit that is delicious without the action of the frost, while adjoining trees produce fruit that never becomes edible.
It was brought to England before 1629 and is cultivated, but rarely if ever ripens its fruit.  It is easily raised from seed and can also be propagated fromstolons, which are often produced in great quantity.  The tree is hardy in the south of England and in the Channel Islands.
The persimmon rarely develops anyheartwooduntil it is nearly one hundred years old.
The fruit is high invitamin C, and extremelyastringentwhen unripe. It is eaten by birds, raccoons, skunks, white-tailed deer, semi-wild hogs, flying squirrels, and opossums.
The ripe fruit may be eaten raw by humans,typically oncebletted, or it can be cooked or dried. The fruit pulp can be made into pie,pudding,jam,molasses, and candy. Anherbal teathat can be made from the leavesand the roasted seed is used as acoffeesubstitute.
The fruit is also fermented withhops,cornmealorwheat braninto a sort of beeror made into brandy.
The wood is heavy, strong and very close-grained and used inwoodturning.Its heartwood, which may take a century before being produced, is a trueebony, extremely close-grained and almost black;it is not harvested commercially.
The seeds were used as buttons during the privation of theAmerican Civil Warin the South.