Persimmon

This species is a medium sized tree and can grow up to 60 feet tall. It tolerates dry to wet sites, and typically forms large thickets through root sprouting. Its wood is used for shuttles, golf club heads, shoe lasts, etc. Fruit is pulpy and edible; bark dark gray and broken up into small blocks.

The Persimmon tree, scientific name Diospyros virginiana for the American Persimmon, means "fruit of the gods" and is a reference to its sweet golden-orange fruit. The tree grows from 30 to 70 feet in height. It has drooping branches and leaves and a tropical look. Many are grown specifically for its fruit. Tea can be made from the leaves.

Its leaves begin as a pale yellow-green and mature into a shiny green. Most persimmon trees are either male or female. The female persimmon tree produces single cream-colored flowers while the male flowers have a pink tint to them and are born in clusters of three.

Persimmon fruit comes during the summer months and varies in color from light yellow orange to dark orange red. The fruit is sweet when ripe but has an extremely bitter taste if eaten before it has ripened. It is often advised that persimmons should not be eaten on an empty stomach. Horses may develop a taste for the fruit growing on a tree in their pasture and overindulge, making them quite ill.

Though persimmon trees belong to the same genus as ebony trees, persimmon tree wood has a limited use in the manufacturing of objects requiring hard wood. It is hard, but cracks easily and is somewhat difficult to process.