PERSIMMON (Diospyros virginiana)
The orange fruit of the American Persimmon is very astringent until fully ripe in the fall. The 1-2" fruit then becomes among the sweetest tasting and most nutritious in the world. Mature trees are columnar in shape, reaching 40-50 feet in height and begin bearing in 3-4 years. Trees should be spaced 20-40 feet apart. Transplants require abundant moisture, and sometimes break dormancy a month or more after they are set, especially in cool weather.
| SMALL | MEDIUM | LARGE | X-LARGE | |||
| SIZE | 1'-2' | 2'-3' | 3'-4' | 4'-5' | 5'-6' | 6'-7' |
| PRICE | $25.00 | $32.00 | $38.00 | $45.00 | $55.00 | $65.00 |
BLUE Southern IN. 1978. Discovered by Leon Pounds, skin is blue in color, prune-shaped, and late maturing.
CRAGGS Hamsburg, Il. Large (1-11/2") late Oct. ripening fruit is yellow orange with red blush.
DOLLYWOOD IL. Very large fruit of high quality, seedling of Early Golden, very heavy cropping variety.
EARLY GOLDEN IL. 1890. Large sweet fruit with good flavor. Often self fertile.
EVELYN N. Tonowonda, NY. Very large (1.5 - 1.8"), sweet, deep orange, usually seedless fruit. Ripens mid-Sept. to late Oct., sets very heavy crops.
GARRETSON PA. Seedling of Early Golden , produces high quality fruit that ripen very early.
H-118 IN. A selection from the Claypool Orchard with early ripening and excellent pulping qualities.
JANET IN. Very heavy producing variety with soft (1- 1 1/2") dark orange fruit , mid to late season.
JOHN RICK IL. Seedling of Killen, 1½" - 2" fruit, orange with a reddish blush. Firm high quality sweet fruit.
KILLEN Felton, DE. Large (1 - 1½) orange fruit that ripens in mid. Oct. in KY, very productive.
Loverboy KY 2010 A male clone with sixty chromosomes which produces seedless fruits on most cultivars, when serving as a pollinator.
MILLER MO Produces large, reddish-yellow, soft fruit, that ripens in late Oct.
MORRIS BURTON IN. Small, very sweet fruit; considered the best quality fruit by many.
MUNICH Southern IN. Large fruited cultivar(2") with few seeds and sweet pulp. Very productive and ranks high in all around qualities.
NIKITA'S GIFT™ Ukraine. This Asian-American hybrid produces very sweet, 2 1/2" bright red-orange fruit that ripen in October. Fruit harvested a month early will still turn soft and ripen with time. Very productive and self-fertile. Trees are naturally dwarf and bear beautiful fall foliage. Hardy to -10°F.
SZUKIS Ont. 1985. Seedling of Early Golden, displays bi-sexual traits, pollinates all other varieties and produces medium-large fruits.
PROK NY. Bred by Cornell University and selected by John Gordon. Very large (3") high quality fruit that is firm, has few seeds, and resists bruising. Commercial quality, self-fertile, ripens in late August and September.
VALEENE BEAUTY IN. Mitchellena crossed with Early Golden. Low fiber, high pulp, very large, very sweet fruit. Regular good producer.
YATES So. IN. Very large fruits reach 2 1/8" and ripen late Aug. to late Sept. Very productive and seedless if grown without pollinator.
Other cultivars sometimes available: Delight, NC10, Ruby, Winter Gold.