American Persimmon Tree

Rich, Sweet Fall Flavor! Also known as the "common persimmon," this bright-orange - and sometimes yellow, red and even blue - fruit bearing tree is anything but common. In fact, it's uncommonly available at most nurseries and greenhouses, and has uncommonly delicious ripe product -- the shape of a one- to two-inch beefsteak tomato -- that lends itself to cakes, cookies, sorbets, and ice cream. Its high calcium, vitamin C, potassium and iron yield also makes it a high-energy dried snack and its pulp freezes well for future use. As an addition to your landscape, this Indiana native, while a slow grower and slow to mature to "fruit-ion", can be pruned initially to have either a strong central leader (trunk) or open center. American Persimmon branches, typically starting just two or three feet from the ground, need little pruning once they become fruit-bearing to maintain their broad-spreading, wide-base shape. Foliage color variety enhances any garden or open space, and this long-oval lea