| Japanese persimmons, ‘Diospyros kaki L.,' were | | | | sweet and juicy in the soft colored stage. |
| introduced into the United States from Japan by | | | | Some botanist historians argue that the Japanese |
| Admiral Perry who discovered the fruit growing on the | | | | persimmon tree documented as growing there one |
| coast of Southern Japan in 1851. | | | | thousand years ago actually originated in China. This |
| Most of the early Japanese persimmon introductions in | | | | argument is often repeated by academics, when |
| 1828 were sprouted from seed in Washington, DC, but | | | | national origins of plants are debated about many |
| were unsuccessful, because of the unusually cold | | | | other plants, but the argument is meaningless. It is |
| winters experienced during that period. | | | | realized by geologists that the land boundary of Japan |
| The USDA introduced grafted cultivars of Japanese | | | | was united to the continent of Asia at some past |
| persimmon into California and Georgia beginning in | | | | period of ancient history. |
| 1870, and many of these experimental persimmon tree | | | | Japanese persimmon fruits are produced in great |
| trials were begun in Central Florida in the early 1900's | | | | numbers by California orchardists and the fruit begins |
| at the University located in Gainesville, Florida. | | | | showing up on grocery shelves around Thanksgiving. |
| One thousand cultivars of Japanese persimmon are | | | | South American persimmon fruit production matures at |
| available from Japan, but from the hundreds of tree | | | | different seasons than persimmons, ripening period in |
| cultivars tested in the United States during the past | | | | America, so that many grocery stores can stock this |
| years, only a handful of commercial trees should be | | | | delicious tasty fruit year round. Japanese oriental fruits |
| considered by the home gardener for reliable fruit | | | | can be stored for two months for future consumption |
| production. | | | | at a refrigerator temperature of 30 degrees |
| The cultivars of Japanese persimmon trees | | | | Fahrenheit. |
| recommended for home gardeners are Fuyu, | | | | Japanese persimmons grown from seed can grow to |
| Fuyugaki, Giant Fuyu, Chocolate, Eureka, Hachiya, Jiro, | | | | 40 feet tall; however, modern grafted cultivars rarely |
| Tam-o-pan, and Tanenashi. | | | | grow very tall. Fruit shapes vary wildly from plum, |
| Many cultivars were planted in Florida by Professor | | | | tomato, and heart-shaped to square, oval, tear drop, |
| Hume of the University of Florida at Gainesville, Florida | | | | and lobed or many combinations in between. |
| during the early 1900's. The trees were a sensation | | | | The small yellow wax-like flowers fill the air with a |
| because of the prolific early bearing and the | | | | sweet pleasant aroma. The flowers may or may not |
| observation that the trees ripened into large crops of | | | | require cross pollination, and will mature into a various |
| colorful, juicy fruit in late fall when very few fresh | | | | array of sizes--up to one pound each—and the color |
| delicacies are available. Reports of early Japanese | | | | ranges from yellow to dark-reddish orange. |
| persimmon tree orchards show that in excess of | | | | The wood is among the hardest known to man, being |
| 22,000 trees were being grown commercially in Florida | | | | highly prized and desirable for wood carving by |
| alone. The Japanese persimmon trees are classifieds | | | | Japanese artists. The Japanese persimmon tree is a |
| into two categories using two terms that confuse | | | | very important landscape specimen tree because of |
| most people. The use of the term "non" is interpreted | | | | the deep green waxy leaves that turn such brilliant |
| by most people as a negative, meaning a tree that | | | | colors in the fall, often appearing like a brightly lit |
| demonstrates a less desirable quality. Japanese | | | | Christmas tree in the landscape. |
| persimmon trees produce fruit that is non-astringent or | | | | The American persimmon, ‘Diospyros virginiana,' |
| astringent. The non-astringent term in this case is more | | | | was found growing in Virginia by the early American |
| desirable for eating to the prevailing garden public, | | | | Captain John Smith in 1609, who described the tree |
| because it contains a "non" bitter taste in the green or | | | | and the persimmon fruit in great detail and as tasting |
| hard fruit state. Eventually the astringent Japanese | | | | like an apricot. |
| persimmon fruit will develop a juicy, flavorful, very | | | | William Bartram, the famous early American botanist |
| desirable, taste when it ripens to the point of being soft. | | | | encountered the native American persimmon trees, |
| The peak flavor of a Japanese persimmon never | | | | ‘Diospyros virginiana,' as documented in his book, |
| really climaxes until both the non-astringent and the | | | | Travels, of 1773. The native American persimmon was |
| astringent persimmon both ripen completely on the tree | | | | also brought to the attention of early American |
| to the point of softness. The use of these terms in | | | | Presidents and plant collectors, George Washington |
| recommending the purchase of Japanese persimmon | | | | and Thomas Jefferson. |
| trees has been unfortunate, to the point of | | | | American persimmons contain a few seeds in the |
| discouraging many gardeners from planting trees of | | | | juicy, pinkish-orange fruit which often ripens in |
| the astringent persimmon cultivars. Plum trees, for | | | | September. These delicious fruits have a natural juicy, |
| instance, are not classified into two categories of sour | | | | sweet, fruity taste when overripe in the pinkish-orange |
| and sweet, even though a hard green plum before fully | | | | stage and should never be picked from the tree until |
| ripening is sour to taste, yet it becomes pleasantly | | | | plump, soft to the touch, and completely ripe. |