Description
Diospyros – Persimmon – Ebony –
There are about 475 species of deciduous or evergreen trees and shrubs, in this genus. They occur in forest in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions worldwide especially in Asia and America. They are grown for their attractive habit, their bold, alternate, smooth, lance shaped to broadly ovate, simple, often glossy (sometimes heart shaped bases), which are colorful in autumn, and their fleshy, pear like, edible fruit. On previous years wood it bears bell or urn shaped, male and female flowers are usually borne on separate plants, and flowers have a rolled back petals and a leaf like calyx. In cool temperate climates, the species make attractive specimen tree, but most need long warm summers to fruit well. Timber and fruit is of economic importance.
With such a large and diverse genus it is difficult to generalize growing requirements. They are frost hardy to frost tender and generally like deep, fertile, moist but well drained loamy soil in full sun, preferably sheltered from cold, drying winds, and late frosts.
Prone to fruit rot, wood rot, anthranose, Acremonium wilt, powdery mildew, and a variety of fungal spots, and blights are common.
D. khaki – Chinese Persimmon – Japanese Persimmon – Khaki – Japanese Date Plum – This spreading, deciduous tree has long been cultivated in China and Japan grows 20-30′ feet tall and 22′ feet wide. It produces oval, glossy, dark green leaves, to 8″ long, which turn yellow to orange-red and purple in autumn. In summer it bears small, bell shaped, pale cream flowers, to ½” across. Female plants bear edible, conical to spherical yellow to orange fruit, to 3″ across, without the aid of a male.
Zones 7-9
