Common Name: Persimmon

General Information

Diospyros kaki is an often multi-stemmed, slow-growing, deciduous tree with a fairly open, round crown; it can grow up to a height of around 27 metres[]. The bole is short and crooked[].
The tree is widely cultivated, especially in Japan and China, for its edible fruit[]. A handsome, ornamental tree with drooping leaves and branches that give it a languid, rather tropical appearance, it is often grown in gardens etc[].
Diospyros kaki has a very wide distribution, large population, is not currently experiencing any major threats and no significant future threats have been identified. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2021)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - northeast India, central, southern and eastern China, Japan, northern Vietnam.

Habitat

Not known in a truly wild situation, it is found in broad leafed woodland but probably as an escape from cultivation[, ].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	12.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental

Cultivation Details

Diospyros kaki is a plant of the warm temperate and subtropical zones, it also succeeds at higher elevations up to 2,500 metres in the tropics with the trees fruiting well at lower elevations in some areas[]. It grows best in areas with a well-distributed rainfall, though it is surprisingly tolerant - able to succeed in semi-arid areas with as little as 300mm of rain, as well as in humid areas with up to 3,000mm of rain[, ]. Plants require a seasonal cool period in order to initiate flowering and fruiting[]. Trees have survived temperatures down to as low as -18°c.[] The temperature range for growth is reported to be 8 - 35°c, with the optimum between 20 - 31c[]C. In Brazil, the tree is considered suitable for all zones favourable to Citrus, but those zones with the coldest winters induce the highest yields[].
Prefers a good deep loamy soil in sun or light shade but succeeds in most soils[, , ]. Dislikes very acid or wet and poorly drained soils[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 5 - 8.3[]. The plant requires a sheltered position because the branches are somewhat brittle[, ].
Trees produce a long taproot and should be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible[]. The young trees require some winter protection for their first winter or two[].
There are many named varieties[]. Some cultivars, such as 'Fuyu', lack the usual astringency and can be eaten whilst still firm, though they develop a richer flavour if allowed to become soft[, ]. These non-astringent forms require a warmer climate and do not ripen in cooler areas[]. The astringent cultivars are somewhat hardier and ripen well in cooler climates than the non-astringent forms[]. The fruit colours better and is sweeter in warmer areas but in hot conditions has a poor texture and deep black spots develop[]. If allowed to become very ripe (almost to the point of going rotten), they develop a better flavour than non-astringent forms[].
Dioecious, but the female tree can produce seedless fruits in the absence of a pollinator. However, unfertilized fruit tends to be smaller and more astringent[]. This astringency is due to the high content of tannin but once the fruit is fully ripe it loses this astringency and becomes sweet[]. If fertilized fruit is required, then growing one male for every 8 - 10 females is usually adequate[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[, , , , , ]. The fruit has an exquisitely rich flavour when it is very soft and fully ripe (almost at the point of going bad), but the fruit of many cultivars is very harsh and astringent before then[]. In Britain, the fruit needs to be harvested whilst it is still very hard. This is done very late in the season (in December or even January if possible), it is then stored in a cool but frost-free place until very soft and fully ripe[]. The fruit can also be used in pies, cakes, bread, desserts etc[]. It contains 25% sugars[]. A fuller nutritional analysis is available[]. The fruit can also be dried for later use[]. The fruit is about 7.5cm in diameter[].

The peel of the fruit can be powdered and used as a sweetener[].

The leaves are used to improve the flavour of pickled radishes[].

The roasted seeds are a coffee substitute[, ].

Medicinal

Appetizer, sialagogue[, , ].
The stem bark is astringent and styptic[].

The fruit is said to have different properties depending on its stage of ripeness, though it is generally antitussive, astringent, laxative, nutritive and stomachic[, ].
The fresh fully ripe fruit is used raw in the treatment of constipation and haemorrhoids[] and when cooked is used to treat diarrhoea[].
The dried ripe fruit is used in the treatment of bronchial complaints[], whilst when ground into a powder it is used to treat dry coughs[].
Juice from the unripe fruit is used in the treatment of hypertension[, ].
The fruits, picked green and ripened in containers with the leaves, become very sweet and are considered to be antifebrile, antivinous and demulcent[].
The fruits are also peeled and then exposed to sunlight by day and dew by night. They become encrusted with a white powder and are then considered to be anthelmintic, antihaemorrhagic, antivinous, expectorant, febrifuge and restorative[].
The peduncle is used to treat coughs and hiccups[].

A decoction of the calyx and fruit stem is sometimes taken to relieve hiccups, coughs and laboured respiration[, ].

Agroforestry Uses:

Trees can be planted as a hedge or as a screen if they are pruned heavily[].

Other Uses

The pulp of unripe fruits is used in cosmetics to make face-packs because of its firming qualities[].

Tannin from the unripe fruits has been employed in brewing sake, also in dyeing and as a wood preservative[].

Juice of small, inedible wild fruits, crushed whole, calyx, seeds and all, is diluted with water and painted on paper or cloth as an insect- and moisture-repellent[].
The unripe fruit of this species is used to waterproof paper hats and umbrellas. The fruits are picked while green and still immature and are pounded into a pulpy mass by means of a wooden hammer, and placed into earthen jars with a quantity of water. The contents of the jars are stirred from time to time and are then left undisturbed for twenty days, after which the pulp is removed and the colourless syrupy liquid which remains is then mixed with the leaves of a certain species of Ligustrim (possibly Ligustrum lucidum?) known as Tung-ching. This imparts to it a reddish colour and the varnish is then ready for use[]..

The wood is black with streaks of orange-yellow, salmon, brown or grey[]. Fairly hard and heavy, durable with a beautiful close-grain, it takes a smooth finish[, ]. Used for making fine furniture, it is prized in Japan for fancy inlays, though it has an unpleasant odour[, ].

We do not have any more specific information for this species. However, though varying widely in the relative proportion and the colouring of sapwood and heartwood, all the woods of the genus Diospyros are practically indistinguishable as regards their structure, as described below:-[]
Whether or not a given species produces heartwood depends largely on the size the tree has attained, but evidently also on other conditions, as there is a wide variation in the relative amounts of sapwood and heartwood even in individuals of the same species. When produced, the heartwood can be black with rosy, yellowish, brownish, or ashy streaks, sometimes it is nearly or totally black; it is generally sharply demarcated from the thin to very wide band of whitish, yellowish, or red sapwood. The texture is fine, smooth and (especially in the heartwood) very dense; the grain is generally very straight. The wood is hard to very hard; heavy to very heavy; the sapwood is tough and flexible whilst the heartwood is brittle; the heartwood is very durable, the sapwood moderately so. It is difficult to season well, logs almost invariably checking in several directions from the heart outward, while sawn lumber must be stacked carefully and weighted to prevent warping; once thoroughly dried, however, it becomes very stable. Its density makes it difficult to work, but it takes a beautiful surface under sharp tools[].
Small trees containing little or no heartwood are used locally for posts, beams, joists, rafters, window sills, parts of agricultural implements, etc.; also, in lumbering, small poles are used for skids on account of their hardness, toughness and smooth wearing qualities. The heartwood (or sometimes sap and heart together) is used for scabbards, canes, hilts, tool handles, gunstocks, saw frames, etc.; it is a favorite for musical instruments, especially finger boards and keys of guitars; furniture, cabinetwork, inlaying; paper weights, inkstands and similar desk supplies; the sapwood, which is almost as hard as the heartwood and very much tougher, is an excellent material for T-squares and other drawing instruments, for shuttles, bobbins, spindles, golf-club heads and shafts, axe, pick, and hammer handles, etc[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe[, ]. Stored seed requires a period of cold-stratification and should be sown as early in the year as possible[]. It usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 15°c[]. Pot up the young seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle into fairly deep pots and plant them out into their permanent positions when large enough.
As a rule fresh seeds have a high percentage of fertility. The seedlings develop long taproots at an early stage, often before any appreciable elongation of the shoot takes place. The growth of the seedling is decidedly slow [].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood in a frame[].
Layering[].

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