Everything You Need to Know About American Persimmon!

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The American persimmon, Diospyros virginiana is an excellent tree for wildlife and pollinator plantings. A wide range of pollinators are attracted to its blooms, many species of wildlife feed on the persimmon fruit, and it is a host plant for at least 14 species of moth including the regal and Luna moths. Learn all about this awesome native tree in this video, from where it grows to what uses it.

What are your experiences with American persimmon? Let me know in the comments!

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Chapters:
0:00 The American Persimmon – An Introduction
0:26 Where Does American Persimmon Grow and How Big Does It Get?
1:09 American Persimmon Leaves, Twigs, and Buds - Identification
1:43 Identifying American Persimmon by Bark
2:06 American Persimmon Flowers and Bloom Time, Diecious Species Male and Female Trees
2:36 Pollinators Attracted to American Persimmon and Host Plant for Regal Moth and Luna Moth
2:55 American Persimmon Fruit Characteristics and Fruiting Time
3:38 Wildlife That Eat Persimmon Fruit
3:54 The Flying Squirrel Persimmon Fruit Incident
4:32 Cooking with Persimmons
4:40 Identifying Female American Persimmon Trees Without Fruit
5:10 Quick Word About American Persimmon Varieties
5:21 The Uses of American Persimmon Wood

[BackyardEcology]

This video is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.

[LostInThisGardenofLife]

It’s one of my favorite trees. I found one growing in the woods nearby and saved some seeds that I planted one winter since they need a cold treatment… I ended up with over a dozen beautiful trees. It’s been 5 years, no signs of fruiting yet but I have a grafted American persimmon I found at Walmart that’s currently fruiting. Can’t wait to eat those tasty fruit! 😋❤

[nastynate]

My ol' man has some persimmon trees near his house. I was trying to show my son about them, picked up an orange-colored but still under-ripe one, and took a bite to show him it was edible. Yeah, the color can fool ya. If it ain't squishy, leave it be. My son still makes fun of me for the face I made...

[Mads-nbcu]

Found a bunch of persimmon trees growing in a part in NC last year and got my mom to try them (proving they were edible by eating a piece myself). No they were not yet ripe and my mom didnt talk to me the rest of the day 😂

[lunakat]

I was lucky to have found that the house I bought a few years back has 3 American persimmon trees. I didn’t even know it until last year. Even the smallest tree has tons of fruit on it ready to eat in late October all the way through November. For thanksgiving I made a jam and all I had to do was skim the fruit, stir the center parts in a bowl and tada it was ready! The flavor is so great and I can only describe it as honey and oranges. By far my favorite fruit now. 👏👏👏👏👏👏

[twinsgardening]

*mike wazowski voice* I'm famous! the picture at 4:35 of the persimmons in the collander is one of my photos I made public domain on iNaturalist :D Pro tip I learned after that: Take the caps off first, and use a collander with bigger holes!

If you find a tree with fruit, look for fruit on the ground (or within reach on the branches) that's turned more pinkish than orange, those are the ones that are fully ripe. If in doubt, peel a bit of the skin away and touch your tongue to it, if it's not ripe it'll be astringent, if it is it'll just taste sweet.

The seeds are really easy to grow if you get them fresh, just plant them in some soil an inch or so deep in the fall, leave the container outside over the winter (with a wire cover of some sort if you've got lots of squirrels who might dig in them), and they should start popping up above the soil in late March! The seedlings will have red stems, and narrow seed leaves :) If you give them good potting soil or plant them in the ground, they can grow three feet tall in just their first year, which I was not expecting at all!


Please feel free to tag me if you find any more of my photos helpful, I'm so glad they're being used to help teach people and I've only watched two of your videos so far, but they're awesome! :D

[Honkykong]

I got a bunch of persimmon trees here on my homestead

[roblena]

Dude I just learned these along with pawpaws existed two years ago and desperately want to try them. My girlfriend just enherited 20 acres with a few on there growing fruit. Only one persimmons seems to be fruiting so I have a lot of grafting to do. Few more months and I will eat my first one!

[deadramoore]

My grandfather was a practical joker, so of course when I was kid he "happened to mention" that the persimmon was a delicious, sweet fruit. There was (is) a large mature persimmon behind his dairy barn, so he picked one for me and told me to taste it. I think he laughed about that for a couple of weeks, and my cousins all confirmed that he did the same to them. That tree is still going, but it must me toward the end of it's life. I want to plant two more (a male and a female) to continue the goodness.

[touretteslife]

Thank you! I just discovered persimmon fruit in my yard and I’m excited to know I have some. Thanks for the good info.

[natekimbell]

Ever heard Jerry clower talk about green persimmon wine? If you look at the map that was given in this video I believe most of these trees were spread during the civil war because of soldiers trying to find things to eat.

[HitTheDirt]

Really enjoyed this video and added to my interesting by others playlist so other people may find it! Thanks L&S!

[brassmule]

I had two enormously tall ones - easily 60-70 feet tall, as tall as the 100+ year willow oaks - in the backyard of a home built in 1950 in Charlotte, NC. Their fruits were definitely popular with the wildlife, and I survived the job of cleaning up the fruit to be able to mow effectively every fall. I've been thinking about trying to get some going on our family property in Alabama, to provide additional sustenance for native wildlife.

[michaelpost]

There is one growing in my backyard near Seattle Washington. 50 feet tall, was nearly choked by English Ivy, I cut the trunk of the ivy. It makes lots of fruit, haven't tried them yet.

[MichaelTvardzik]

Appreciate the info. I live in Montana in zone 4b. I got a couple of the Yates variety and the traditional American Persimmon. I’m really excited to get these going. I’m hoping they’ll survive our winters here. I was told they’re good down to zone 4.They were just planted this year so I have some years before they’ll fruit. The Yates is self pollinating but I’m hoping with the Americans I’ll have a mixture of male and female.

[hellpig]

LOL, you got me with the YEET!
Another informative vid, thanks!

[tinawindham]

I just bout a place with some persimmons…my first one so far was delicious! Also have them popping up all over the yard.. box turtles must love them, 2. I don’t have anymore ready to eat and I’m not very patient. My rabbits had a bite, 2👍🏻guess I should dig up the ones in my lawnmower path . I love it! Thank u for this video. Very helpful.

[michaelferik]

I always check to see if the fruit can be (very) easily pulled off a branch before attempting to eat it despite it looking orange in color. Even then, just letting them sit and ripen a few days usually guarantees a delicious, ripe fruit.

[GH-Rav]

Yes, you will only make the mistake of eating an unripe persimmon once. 😅 I still remember it vividly. Scared me off of them before I looked up why it happened lol

[davehendricks]

I bought a couple of seedlings a few years ago. Did fine after planting, never came back the next spring. I think I need to try a different strain.😟