Persimmon Tree Information
The common persimmon tree grows throughout most of the South and as far north as states like Pennsylvania and Ohio, with the tree occurring as far west as Oklahoma and Kansas. The female persimmon tree produces an edible but often bitter fruit. The common persimmon has ornamental value because of its foliage and bark.
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Size and Form
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The tallest common persimmons grow to heights of about 50 feet, with the trees that occur in the northern part of the persimmon's range usually smaller than those growing in southern climes. Trunk diameters of the persimmon will be in the one to 2-foot range. The persimmon has a rounded crown or a cylindrical top, according to the "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Trees."
Foliage
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Persimmon leaves give the tree a full dark appearance, being a very striking shade of green. The foliage can be as long as 6 inches in some instances and the elliptical to oval leaves have a glossy upper surface. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences website describes the lower surface of persimmon leaves as a "mosaic" of lighter greens.
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Bark
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The bark of the common persimmon is among its most attractive features. The University of Connecticut Plant Database site suggests that it closely resembles that of the flowering dogwood, but that the bark on a persimmon tree is darker, with an almost black color. The look and texture brings the hide of an alligator to mind, the website states, with its blocky pattern a result of deep furrows and multiple ridges.
Fruit
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The fruit produced by the persimmon tree has such high tannin content that if you bite into one before it ripens, you will experience a taste so bitter that your mouth will pucker. Most people wait until the persimmon fruit has gone through a frost or two before picking them for consumption. The fruit, which is about one to 2 inches long, is initially green but ripens to an orange-pink color, says the Ohio Department of Natural Resources site. While Native Americans used the fruit to make breads and stored them dried like prunes, contemporary uses for the persimmon include being parts of puddings, beverages and cakes.
Considerations
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A persimmon tree can adapt to grow in poor quality soil, with the pH level of the ground not a factor as long as the site the tree occurs in does not hold water. Persimmon trees though are often difficult to transplant successfully. One of the problems persimmons present is that the tree will produce offshoots from its roots. This process, known as suckering, means that in the wild persimmon can form groves and stands of multiple trees; in your yard you will constantly have to monitor this new growth so that it does not spread.
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