Grafted American Persimmons

Description

Now available

We are again offering selected varieties of Grafted American Persimmons and American Asian Hybrids.

For those unfamiliar with our native persimmons we will begin with a general description.

The American Persimmon- Diospyros virginiana was once a common tree in woodlots and fencerows in the Eastern United States. It is the only North American relative of the tropical Ebony family.  It is normally seen as a small to medium sized tree but can under good condition grow to be a large tree. The wood of the Persimmon tree is one of the densest and most crush resistant woods in North America. It was once the choice timber for the wooden heads of golf clubs.

The American Persimmon is a pioneer tree. The large sweet fruit is relished by all kinds of wildlife who basically eat it whole seeds and all. This is the way the fairly large seeds get spread far and wide. Deer, Turkeys, Foxes, Coyotes, Raccoons, Opossums and other common woodland creatures take advantage of the sweet fruits each fall.

Persimmon trees are dioceous meaning male and female flowers are on separate trees. Male trees have male pollen producing producing flowers. Female trees have female nectar producing flowers. Male trees do not produce fruit. Honeybees absolutely love Persimmon flowers. Both male and female trees literally roar with bees during the bloom period. The trees bloom period is only about 10 days but with enough trees a tremendous amount of nectar and pollen are gathered.

The fruit is very astringent when unripe. Many an unknowing soul has been offered an unripe persimmon as a right of initiation to country life. The ripe fruit is soft and sweet. Quite nice really. It  is advisable to take a small taste test of any wild fruit to be sure it is ready before taking a big bight. There is an unfounded belief that Persimmons must be exposed to a hard frost to ripen. This is not entirely true. Some ripen early enough to be good long before cold weather. Most though ripen very late in the season so frosty weather indicates that most fruit will be ripe. There are people in Indiana and North Carolina who raise and process Persimmon pulp for those who want the traditional holiday Persimmon Pies a regional delicacy.

There are other mysteries to our American Persimmon trees. There are two genetically different populations included in this species. Trees which grow roughly along a line north of the Ohio River have 90 chromosomes while trees south of that line have 60 chromosomes. The 90 chromosomes trees tend to produces larger fruit and most named selections are from that population. The southern strain is now beginning to get a little attention and some new selections are being made in that population.

I would like to thank Cliff England and Dax Herbst for their help with graftwood and descriptions

There are so many good varieties of Persimmon that have been selected over the years. You will notice that our offerings change rather dramatically from year to year. This happens for a variety of reasons but we are trying to get the very best genetics out there. Some of the ones sold out will be back one day. Join our wait list for those so we know what you want. Join Our Wait List 

Seedling Persimmon

The Seedling Persimmon is just that, a Persimmon tree grown from a seed. It may be male or female, there is no way to tell until it flowers. The quality of the fruit is unknown if it is a female. These are good trees to plant for bees or wildlife

Barbara’s Blush   

Barbara”s Blush came from Jerry Lehmans Orchard and was numbered WS-8-10. The fruit was so good, he named it after his wife Barbara. The fruit is large and sweet with a red “blush” and some red in the flesh itself

Dar Sofiyivky-  Gift of Sofiyivky

A Ukrainian variety that is very cold hardy. Zone 5. Large fruit and a good flavor. Sofiyivky is a Park in Ukraine that has Persimmon Trees planted in it. Dar Sofiyivky translates to Gift of Sofiyivky. It has also been called Sophies Gift

Early Golden Persimmon Sold Out

The name gives a good description. Early Golden ripens without the need of a frost. The 1 2/2″ diameter fruit is sweet and non astringent when ripe. The color is golden to orange/red. It is a good early season persimmon

Elmo

Elmo was first known as A-118 and got its name from the town of St Elmo Illinois where it won a contest. Good size and flavor. Ripens Mid September

Geneva Long  Sold Out

Geneva Long describes the fruit of this unique persimmon. Odd appearance is not the primary reason to grow this one. The fruit is abundant and flavorful

H-63A

Poor old H-63-A never got a name. It was a seedling in row H, tree 63-A in Claypool’s orchard. It is very productive. The fruit is large. The flesh is clear with no specks. It is considered one of the best for processing into pulp for baked goods. Fruit ripens in September.

H-69A  Osage 

This is a seedling of H-63-A that was grown in Oklahoma by Wes Rice that was gathered from Claypool’s orchard. It has large fruit with very good flavor. The flesh is clear  with no precipitates. A good processor. The tree remains small with a 20 year old tree at only 8′ tall. Fruit ripens in September

JT-02 Mikkusu

This is a Japanese Hybrid. The cross is between Josephine X Taisuu. The fruit is usually a rich orange when ripe with a good flavor. In some soil types it can be a dark blue/black. Fruit ripens in late October or early November. They can be allowed to hang until Thanksgiving. The tree remains small

100-46, AKA Lehman’s Delight Sold Out

100-45 Also known as Lehman’s Delight came from Jerry Lehman’s breeding program. He cross bred some of the very best American Persimmons and selected the most productive and best flavored offspring of those crosses. This was one of his favorites

McCampbell

McCampbell was named by Emory Erman. It has a large pumpkin shaped fruit that is very sweet. It looses its astringency as soon as it colors in September

Morris Burton Persimmon  Sold Out

Morris Burton at 1 1/2″ is not one of the biggest Persimmons but is one of the better flavored ones. The fruit ripens through the whole month of October. The tree bears at a young age and produces an abundance of sweet fruit. It does not need a freeze to get sweet.

Mt Goverla

Mt Goverla or Gora Goverla in Ukranian is a Ukrainian Hybrid That is considered the foundation of their breeding program for Persimmons. It has both Male and Female flowers so it is a pollinator as well as a fruit producer. It has a large fruit with clear orange pulp free of specks. The tree size is small and the fruit ripens in mid-October. The tree came to me as Mt Rogers. Some varieties have more than one name.

Nikita #4

This is a super productive persimmon with medium to large fruit. The fruit is longer than it is wide and the color is a reddish pumpkin color. Fruit ripens late in the season. The tree has thin wispy branches so the fruit pulls them down. Fruit is mildly astringent

Prok  Sold Out

Prok is an old favorite variety with large good flavored fruit

Wabash Persimmon Sold Out

Wabash is named for the Wabash river where it was discovered. It is a good Persimmon that ripens mid season. It does not need a frost to get sweet

Yates- Juhl

This is an older variety that has been grown for many years for its large flavorful fruit and heavy bearing qualities. Its name comes from a common occurrence in minor crops. The trees are grown and not labelled. Time passes, names are forgotten, trees rediscovered and given new names. The fruit gets seen by people familiar with the older trees and now it has 2 names or sometimes more. Whatever it is called, it is a great persimmon that should be grown everywhere Persimmons can be grown.