Persimmons
Persimmon trees are from the genus Diospyros, in the Ebenaceae family. The Ebenaceae family contains over 700 species, the vast majority of which are tropical. There are, however, a handful of temperate species that produce edible fruit. For the Pacific Northwest, the species of most interest are the Asian persimmon, the American persimmon, and the Caucasian persimmon.
These fruiting trees produce large, tomato-shaped berries with a very sweet, warm flavor. The fruit is especially popular in eastern Asia and the Mediterranean. In the US, they are grown commercially as a minor crop in California and Florida, but the trees can be found in many home gardens in California and the Pacific Northwest. They are a common sight throughout Portland.
Most persimmons are astringent when unripe; the unripe fruit has high levels of tannins that cause an unpleasant drying sensation when eaten. These tannins dissipate? as the fruit softens and ripens. Some varieties of the Asian persimmon have been bred to be non-astringent and can be eaten when still firm, but their flavor is often less complex.
Persimmons ripen in late fall and the fruit can hang on the trees well after all their leaves have fallen. The fruit is sometimes left on the bare trees for their ornamental effect. A good example of this is at the Lan Su Chinese Gardens in downtown Portland, where a persimmon tree is left holding fruit well into winter.
Species and varieties
Persimmons
Asian persimmon (Diospyros kaki)
‘Hachiya’
‘Fuyu’
American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)
Caucasian persimmon (Diospyros lotus)
Asian persimmons
The Asian persimmon, Diospyros kaki, is the most common species of persimmon grown in the world and in the Pacific Northwest. Diospyros kaki is native to China, where it has been in cultivation since at least the Qin Dynasty (221 BCE to 220 CE).
The persimmon was subsequently introduced to Japan around 600 CE and Korea in the 1300s. The Asian persimmon was introduced much more recently, in the 1800s, to Europe, North America, and the rest of the world. Today, it is very popular in eastern Asia, with China producing about 75% of the global crop, but has also become popular in Spain, Italy, and other Mediterranean countries.
Hardier Asian persimmon varieties are said to handle temperatures down to 0°F. There are, however, varieties such as ‘Great Wall’, collected from northern China, that are reputed to be even cold-hardier.
Asian persimmons are dried, and in Korea and Japan, processed into vinegar. The dried young leaves of Asian persimmon trees are used in tea in China, Korea, and Japan.
Varieties
Asian persimmons, also known as “kaki” in many regions, have been bred into both astringent and non-astringent varieties, as well as seeded and non-seeded varieties. Seeded varieties have In our region, the two varieties most commonly found in stores are non-astringent ‘Fuyu’ persimmon and the astringent ‘Hachiya’ persimmon. These are almost always brought in from Californian farms located outside of our local region. Although the persimmon grows very well in our climate, there is, unfortunately, no real commercial industry locally.
The variety ‘Hachiya’ is commonly grown in California. The fruit is orange and shaped like a giant acorn. As an astringent variety, it must be ripened until completely soft, or the fruit will cause a very unpleasant drying sensation in your mouth. I really enjoy soft, ripe persimmons, which have a jelly or custard-like texture. To eat them out of hand, simply pull the stem off the top and scoop the fruit out with a spoon. ‘Hachiya’ and other similar astringent varieties are used in eastern Asia to make dried persimmons, a winter specialty in those areas.
The ‘Fuyu’ persimmon is a non-astringent variety that is smaller and flatter in shape. As a non-astrigent variety, it can be sliced and eaten when still firm. If desired, it can still be ripened further and eaten soft.
Astringency and ripening
Because soft, ripe persimmons do not transport or store well, persimmons are picked when the fruit is still firm. At this stage, however, astringent varieties are still inedible. Some producers consider the fruit to be difficult to market as it cannot be eaten immediately when purchased from the store, so methods of reducing the tannins in astringent varieties have been developed over the years make the fruit edible before they soften.
These processes involve making the tannins in the fruit insoluble and non-reactive. Examples include the ‘Triumph’ variety, marketed in Israel as “Sharon fruit”, and the ‘Rojo Brillante’ variety from Spain, both treated via storage in a modified atmosphere in which the fruit is exposed to high levels of CO₂. These methods, however, entail additional costs, which raises the price of the fruit, and they can sometimes have an adverse effect on the quality of the fruit.
Other methods of reducing astringency include exposure to ethanol gas, soaking in warm water, or exposure to ethylene gas (this one also softens and ripens the fruit).
Personally, I don’t mind waiting a few days for the fruit to ripen.
Other persimmon species
North America has its own native species, the American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), native to southeastern North America. They are significantly hardier than Asian persimmons, with some varieties tolerating temperatures down to at least -25°F. The American persimmon is a large tree in its native range, but grows smaller in the Pacific Northwest. It produces astringent fruit that is smaller than the Asian persimmon.
The name “persimmon” comes from the Powhatan (Algonquian) name for the American persimmon, “pasimenan”.
Caucasian persimmons are generally referred to as date-plums, but I prefer the name Caucasian persimmon because it’s more specific. Prior to the introduction of Asian persimmons in the Mediterranean, the Caucasian persimmon (Diospyros lotus) was the species most commonly consumed in the region. Native to western Asia, Caucasian persimmons are about as hardy as Asian persimmons, but smaller in size, and are always astringent.
Rare species
There are a few poorly-known species of persimmon that may match our climate’s requirements.
There is very little information about the Texas persimmon (Diospyros texanum), but this tree, native to Texas and northern Mexico, produces sweet and flavorful fruit. The fruit is very small, black, and contains inedible seeds. The tree is rated to Hardiness Zone 8b, so it should succeed in the warmer parts of the Pacific Northwest and possibly in the Northwest Coast region, but so far, I have not been able to confirm this.
The silky persimmon (Diospyros japonica) is a rare persimmon tree that is said to be hardy down to Hardiness Zone 6, and can be found in botanical gardens in southern England and North Carolina, indicating that it should grow in the Pacific Northwest. The tree is native to China and Japan. Accounts of the fruit’s edibility often mention that only certain varieties are as palatable but information is very limited.
The princess persimmon (Diospyros rhombifolia) is popular as a bonsai plant and produces small, elongated edible fruit. Whether the fruit is worth the trouble of growing is uncertain, but the plant is said to be hardy down to Hardiness Zone 7 or 8 and should grow well in the Pacific Northwest. It is native to southeast China.
