Persimmon Tree Sizes

The fruit of the persimmon tree offers ornamental value to a landscape.

Two types of persimmons occur as ornamental landscape plants, the common or native American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) and the Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki). Thousands of cultivars exist for the landscape. The deciduous trees grow as multibranched or single trunk specimens.

Size

The Japanese persimmon tree attains a height of 30 feet when fully mature. Some cultivars can attain a height of up to 60 feet in ideal circumstances. The slower-growing American persimmon attains a height of 35 to 60 feet, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden's website.

Considerations

Both persimmon tree types produce a rounded large canopy when fully grown. The Japanese persimmon tree is more cold sensitive and grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 7 to 9. The American persimmon grows well in USDA zones 6 to 10. Some cultivars grow in a zone 5.

Warning

Two types of Japanese persimmon trees exist, those that produce astringent fruit and those that produce sweet fruit. The common American persimmon tree's fruit is extremely astringent when green, but as the color deepens to orange, the fruit develops a sweet, pleasing taste. The oval fruit of the Japanese persimmon measures 3 to 6 inches. The fruit of the common American persimmon measures only 1 to 2 inches in diameter.

References

• University of Florida IFAS Extension: Diospyros Kaki -- Japanese Persimmon
• Missouri Botanical Garden: Diospyros Virginiana
• North Carolina State University: Diospyros Virginiana
• California Rare Fruit Growers: Persimmon
• Purdue University: Japanese Persimmon
• Australian Government: Persimmon Fruit

Resources

• Floridata: Diospyros Virginiana
• Floridata: Diospyros Kaki