The Common Persimmon
by Ross Dees
As the temperature cools and days get shorter, some trees in Oklahoma are beginning to start their annual change of color and leaf drop. Soon the ground will be littered with various shades of reds, yellows, and browns. There are many tree species which produce wonderful fall color. This fall, make sure to notice the common persimmon (Diospyros virginiana L.).
The common persimmon (also known as possumwood) is a native tree to the southeast United States (3). It is most known for the edible fruit it produces in autumn.
When ripe, the fruit will be soft, shriveled and can be described as having a “honey-like” flavor. When unripe, persimmon fruits are tough, bitter, and will produce a very unpleasant dry-mouth feeling when eaten. Common persimmon fruits will begin to ripen following the first fall frost (3).
Being a native tree to the American southeast, the common persimmon has many historical uses. Both Native Americans and European colonists used the abundant resource as a food, medicine, and crafting material. Fruits were commonly eaten fresh, dried, or made into breads, puddings, pies, syrups, and alcoholic beverages. Medicine made from the common persimmon were used to treat symptoms ranging from fevers, to diarrhea, and hemorrhoids. The wood of the common persimmon was also found to be very useful as a material for crafting tools, weapons, and buildings, due to its strength and weight (2).
Though the common persimmon is an edible fruit tree with many uses, as well as insect and disease resistance (2), it has not seen commercial cultivation. However, the closely-related Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki) has seen commercial success.
Other than being useful to humans, many fauna enjoy the common persimmon. The fruits are commonly eaten by mammals such as raccoons, possums, squirrels, and deer, as well as many birds. The small, yellow flowers the common persimmon produces are a great source of food for many pollinators, including the beautiful Luna moth (Actias luna) (1).
References
https://www.wildflower.org/gallery/species.php?id_plant=divi5 (1)
http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~chbriand/pdfs/huntia05.pdf (2)
https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_2/diospyros/virginiana.htm (3)
