Plant native American Persimmon trees to grow fall treats for family & wildlife. Enjoy the foliage while creating a perennial late-drop food plot for deer & turkey.
American Persimmons might just be the sweetest autumn fruit that you will you ever eat. The American Persimmon wasn't given it's latin name, Diospyros virginiana, without reason. Diospyros means "Fruit of the Gods". Persimmons were an important part of Native American cuisine and medicine. Native to the eastern and central United States, American Persimmons seedlings are an attractive versatile low maintenance species that are perhaps even more appealing to deer, turkey, other wildlife, and livestock as they are to us.
While easy to grow, American Persimmons are often misunderstood and are not a fruit that you are likely to run into at the grocery store. When harvesting the fruit it is important to wait until they are soft, mushy, and sometimes even beginning to darken in color as the fruit develops it's sugars. This process is known as bletting. These are not qualities that the supermarket fruit connoisseur are used to. While an unripe American Persimmon is firm, bright orange, more visually appealing; one bite will dry out your mouth in way that feels like things will never be normal again in the moment. That's ok, just bite into the next ripe one and let your fears melt way into the pleasant honey-apricot like flavors of the American Persimmon tree you planted in your backyard.
Our American Persimmon seedlings are grown outside in loose native soil that is amended with our own compost and mulched with grass, leaves, and locally sourced wood chips. We focus on developing strong robust root systems for easier transplanting and avoid growing in pots to prevent circling roots. We do not spray our trees with herbicides, pesticides or chemical fertilizers. We collect our American Persimmon seeds from a very old tree that was planted by a family member on family land in the late 1950s or early 1960s. This specific Persimmon tree produces fruit that is often larger and sweeter than other wild trees in our area. We believe this tree's genetics should live on just like the memories of our family before us.
Other Common Names: Common Persimmon, Date Plum, Jove’s Fruit, and Winter Plum
Name Derivation: Derived from the Alongquin tribe word "Putchamin"
Native Range: Eastern and Central United States
Years to Bear Fruit: 4 years to 9 years
USDA Zone Range: 5 - 9
Pollination: Dioecious (male & female)
Bloom Color: small greenish white
Fruit Color: Orange
Fruit Size: Medium
Foliage Color: yellow-orange
Bark: deeply ridged grey rectangular patches
Edible Parts: Fruit, Seeds (must be properly prepared to make a coffee-like beverage)
Taste: Fruit is extremely sweet - like honey combined with notes of peach or apricot
Texture: Fruit is mushy when fully ripe after blettting
Culinary Uses: Persimmon fruit can be eaten fresh or dried. It is often pureed for use in pudding, ice-cream, or baked goods.
Folklore: Pioneers used the seeds to help predict the severity of the coming winter
Does Not Ship to: California
American Persimmons can tolerate some shade as an understory tree or be planted in full sun as an overstory tree for maximum fruiting. This is a species that can thrive when planted next to or underneath Black Walnut trees.
Seedling Size: 2 feet to 5 feet
Spacing: 15 feet to 20 feet
Plant Qty: We recommend planting 3 or more seedlings to ensure you have a male plant to pollinate a female plant in order to bear fruit
Deer browse resistant: No
Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Soil Composition: well-drained, loamy texture but also tolerate heavy clay and dry soils
Soil Moisture: Well Drained
Soil pH Level: 6.0 - 7.0
Mature Height: 30 feet to 80 feet
Life Span: 75 years
Ripens/Harvest: Early September through November
Yield: 35 pounds to 75 pounds per female tree at maturity
Vitamins A and C: Can enhance skin health, strengthen the immune system, and boost collagen production
Manganese: essential for blood clotting
Antioxidants: may help reduce the risk of serious conditions like cancer and stroke
Flavonoids: antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties
Medicinal Uses: hemorrhages, gastrointestinal disorders, and infections
