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by J.W. Lehman

Persimmons are of the genus Diospyros, taken from the Greek meaning fruit of the gods. Throughout the world there are several hundred species with most being indigenous to the tropical areas. The earth's most winter hardy species is native to the US only, D. virginiana. D. kaki, the Asian persimmon, is the most popularly cultivated species. It ranges naturally in China as far North as Beijing and is commonly known as the Japanese persimmon. The reason it is known as the Japanese persimmon rather than the Chinese persimmon is because over 400 years ago it was taken to Japan where the best species improvements by man were made through selective breeding.

The American Persimmon

Persimmons (Diospyros virginiana) have been on the American Continent longer than many US commercially grown fruit. Captain John Smith reported to the English, "Plumbs there be of three sorts. The red and white like our hedge plumbs. But the other which they (the Indians) call Putchamins, grow high as a palmetto. The fruit is like a medlar, it is first green, then yellow and red when ripe. If it not be ripe it will draw a man's mouth awire with much torment. But when it is ripe, it is as delicious as an apricot". When standing under a blooming tree one can hear the constant hum of bees gathering nectar. Many wild vertebrate and birds eat the fruit. Domestic animals eat them including my dog. I have seen a horse that foundered on persimmons. It has been said, ounce for ounce persimmon pulp contains more nourishment than any other fruit grown in the US. In the deep South, the persimmon is generally considered a nuisance and is rouged out as a weed or junk tree. Generally this is the 60-chromosome race which bears small fruits, is less winter hardy and is a smaller statured tree. The Northern race of D. virginiana has 90 chromosomes. This race has larger leaves and thicker branches, which makes it a sturdier tree. These two species will not cross-pollinate but crossing can produce a few seedless fruit. D.v is not considered parthenocarpic although some seedless cultivars exist. Generally seedless fruit is inferior in flavor. There is another race, mosieri that appears in Southern Florida and is believed to have a chromosome count of 30. Indiana and Illinois are two states where some of the best quality native persimmons are found. Native Americans utilized the fruit. Many have planted and selected open pollinated seedlings of cultivars previously found by others. One of the oldest and best cultivars is Early Golden which was found at Alton, Illinois in the late 1800's. Early Golden along with her progeny are the most popular varieties grown today. All-American persimmons are dioecious; trees are either male or female with occasional variations. The sexual expression of D. v is erratic. In rare instances trees can change their sex, usually after some dramatic event such as breaking off in a windstorm. Early Golden and several of her offspring have the ability to occasionally set male flowers on some branchlets, but unreliably. When such male branches are grafted, they always revert to female. Very little research has been done by the USDA or universities to develop the American Persimmon. Several highly qualified horticulturists have bred and selected improved varieties but primarily on a hobby scale due to the lack of funding for research. What are some problems with the fruit? All American persimmon fruits are astringent until fully ripe and usually cling to the tree until all astringency is gone. Therefore the best tasting fruit is that which has just fallen from the tree. The exception is late fruit that remains on trees after many frosts. Such late fruit is of lesser quality because it will be dehydrated. Biting into a green persimmon or one that hasn't fully ripened is a very unpleasant experience. A favorite prank of children is to trick a playmate into biting into a green persimmon. This will not hurt the child, but the child will never forget this experience of, "drawing the mouth awire with much torment." It tends to dry out the mouth and causes the mouth parts to cling together. It is not advisable to consume the unripe fruit. The best way to cleanse the mouth of astringent persimmon discomfort is to eat a fully ripened fruit.

Ripe fruits become soft which can burst when falling from the tree. Soft fruit also has a short shelf life. Most trees ripen their fruit over a two to four week period. Some trees hold their fruit well into winter. Late maturing trees benefit wildlife and generally aren't used by man except as a food source for hunters. This late fruit should be consumed carefully as large poorly masticated consumption can develop into stomach bezoars. Very few cases have been recorded. Fruits frequently contain black material (precipitated tannins) in varying degrees. These tannins look like specs of dirt when pulped but pose no health hazard. In the Northern states, where the 90-chromosome race grows, this fruit is very popular, being used in cooked products. Frozen, packaged pulp sells for $64 a gallon and more. The favorite cooked dish is persimmon pudding. Many families have their favorite recipe and serve it especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas. The pulp is delicious as a topping for ice cream. There are many recipes for persimmon cake, cookies, refrigerator rolls, ice-cream, pie and more. In Indiana, there are small commercial pulping operations producing frozen pulp. Some times they collect fruit and freeze it until a sufficient quantity has been collected to run the process. They are then thawed, the pulp extracted and once again frozen. This finished product is sometimes dark with little eye appeal. As persimmons lose some flavor when frozen, the retained flavor would be questionable after being frozen twice; yet persimmon pudding lovers are purchasing it! The best-flavored pulp is made from freshly collected fruit.

The two largest obstacles to overcome before a persimmon industry can develop are:

1. Softness of ripe fruit.
2. Long harvest period.

The Asian Persimmon

Kaki persimmons were first introduced to the North American continent by early ship explorers and settlers coming from the more tropical areas of the world. The exact history is unknown. Their chromosome count is 90. Whereas the American persimmon can survive to -25 F. the kaki will not do well where winter temperatures fall below 10 degrees F., although it is claimed that some cultivars can survive -10 F. Kaki requires a longer growing season and develops larger fruit, some up to 5 inches in diameter. Many cultivars are seedless, non-astringent and can be eaten straight from the tree, crisp like an apple. The flavor is much less intense than it's native American cousin, but delicious non-the-less. Kaki persimmons are highly prized by the Japanese and other Asians. There is a commercial kaki industry in California, Florida, Texas and other deep southern states with good profit potential. One grower in Tennessee recently sold 400 pounds of fruit into the fresh fruit market at $1.25 per pound. Limbs can break off due to the weight of fruit and larger trees require limb supports.

Recommended reading:

1. PERSIMMONS FOR EVERYONE by Eugene and Mary Griffith with chapters by Prof. J. C. McDaniel, published in 1982 by the North American Fruit Explorers.
2. UNCOMMON FRUITS WORTHY OF ATTENTION by Lee Reich, published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. contains a very good chapter on the virginiana and kaki persimmon.

The above can be borrrowed from the NAFEX LIBRARY.

For more information contact: Jerry Lehman 7780 Persimmon St. Terre Haute, IN 47802-4994 e-Mail: JWLehman@aol.com