All About the American Persimmon Tree

Metus dictum at tempor commodo

The American Persimmon Tree

Still, to quote W. F. Fletcher, writing in a USDA Farmers’ Bulletin back in 1915, “The [American] persimmon tree has received more criticism, both adverse and favorable, than almost any known species.” If your mouth has ever been puckered by an unripe American persimmon, you know much of the reason for this adverse criticism. I liken eating an unripe persimmon to having the business end of a vacuum cleaner in your mouth – and the sensation lingers even after you spit out the fruit.

Ah, but eating a thoroughly ripened persimmon is as pleasurable a gustatory experience as eating an unripe one is horrible. In contrast to the larger, firmer Japanese persimmon found in food markets, fruit of the American persimmon has the look and size of a cherry tomato, with a similar range of color, from yellow to orange to deep red. When ready to eat, an American persimmon is very soft, too soft for a market fruit, but fine for backyards, where fruits need travel no further than arm’s length. At that point, the flesh has a richness and texture something like a dried apricot that has been soaked in water, then dipped in honey and given a dash of spice.

Differences between the American and Japanese persimmon (D. kaki) go beyond the fruit. Cold tolerance for example. Japanese persimmons cannot tolerate winter temperatures much below zero degrees Fahrenheit (Zone 7), yet American persimmons, native from Connecticut down to Florida and west to Kansas, bear fruit even after winters when the mercury plummets below minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit (Zone 4).