Japanese persimmon

Japanese persimmon: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Small tree of 4–8 m with a rounded, fairly open crown about 5 m across.

Leaf

Alternate, 7–15 cm, elliptic to ovate, untoothed, leathery and glossy; yellow, orange to red in autumn.

Bark

Dark grey, cracked into small, square blocks.

Flower

Yellowish-white, bell-shaped flowers (1–2 cm) with a large, green, four-lobed calyx, May–June.

Fruit

Orange, glossy berries (5–8 cm) with a persistent four-lobed calyx, October–November; many varieties are only edible once they are soft and translucent.

Difference from date-plum

Date-plum (Diospyros lotus) has smaller leaves and small (1.5 cm), yellowish-brown to bluish-black fruits; it is often used as a rootstock.

Flowering: June · Harvest and fruit: October–November · Pruning: February–March

Identify by feature: Red autumn colour

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Date-plum (Diospyros lotus): smaller leaves and small (1.5 cm), yellowish-brown to bluish-black fruits; often used as a rootstock.

Why grow it?

• Some of the finest autumn colour: yellow, orange to red leaves.
• Orange fruits like little lanterns on the bare branches, into winter.
• Needs little pruning and suffers little from disease.
• Many varieties set fruit without pollination: one tree is enough.

Japanese persimmon: where does it grow best?

• Full sun and a warm, sheltered spot: in front of a south-facing wall or in a sheltered town garden.
• Any well-drained, fertile soil that doesn’t stay wet for long.
• Out of the wind: branches laden with fruit can break in a storm.
• Allow about 5 m across.

Light

Full sun

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

6 m tall, 5 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Fig: Another fruit from the south for the same warm, sheltered spot.
• Medlar: Also a fruit you only eat once it has gone soft, and also lovely in autumn.
• Quince: Another autumn fruit, with golden-yellow, strongly fragrant fruits.

Japanese persimmon: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant in spring (April), after the worst frosts, so the tree is well rooted before winter.
2. Buy a young container-grown tree: it has a deep taproot and establishes poorly if that is damaged.
3. Astringent varieties are only eaten once soft and translucent; non-astringent varieties, such as ‘Fuyu’, can be eaten while still firm.
4. Keep the graft union above the soil, water well and stake a young tree.

Care

Watering

Water in dry spells in summer: drought makes the young fruitlets drop.

Feeding

Some compost in spring; too much feeding gives long shoots and fewer fruits.

Harvest

Pick in October–November, before hard frost, with a piece of stalk and the calyx attached.

Ripening

Let the fruits ripen indoors until soft; in a bag or box with apples, this goes faster.

Tip: Leave a few persimmons on the tree after leaf fall: orange globes on bare branches make a wonderful winter picture, and the birds will thank you.

Japanese persimmon: when to prune it?

Pruning months: February–March.

When: In February–March.

How:

• Prune lightly: remove dead wood and crossing branches and keep the crown open.
• The fruits form on new shoots from one-year-old wood: so don’t cut away all the young branches.
• Shorten overlong, thin branches a little, so they can carry the crop.

Caution: Choose a warm, sheltered spot: young trees are sensitive to hard frost and late frosts.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Grafting

A variety is propagated by grafting in late winter or spring onto a rootstock, often date-plum.

Sowing

Seeds do germinate, but a seedling won’t give the same variety and only fruits after many years.

Japanese persimmon: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• A mature tree tolerates about −15 °C; young trees are more sensitive: protect the trunk and base with straw or fleece for the first few winters.
• Late frosts in April–May kill the young shoots, and with them that year’s flowers: cover a small tree with fleece when frost threatens.
• Fruits still hanging after leaf fall can take a light frost, but pick them before hard frost sets in.

Diseases and pests

• Fruit drop: The tree drops many young fruitlets in summer: partly normal, but drought and a tree that is too young make it worse. Water in dry spells.
• Late frost: Brown, limp young shoots after a frosty night in spring. Cut them off; the tree will reshoot, but flowers less that year.
• Astringent taste: The fruit makes your mouth pucker: it is not ripe enough yet. Let astringent varieties ripen indoors until soft and translucent.
• Birds: Blackbirds and starlings peck at the soft fruits. Pick in good time and let the fruit ripen indoors.

Through the year

• February: Pruning: remove dead wood and crossing branches.
• March: Finish pruning; cover young trees in night frost.
• April: Planting; protect young shoots from night frost.
• May: Late leafing; keep an eye on night frost.
• June: Flowering; water in dry spells.
• October: Autumn colour; pick the first persimmons.
• November: Finish the harvest before hard frost; ripen indoors.
• December: Protect the base of young trees with straw.

What can you use it for?

Food and drink

Persimmons fresh, once soft and translucent, or dried. Pick them in October–November and let them ripen indoors.

Garden and landscape

Ornamental tree with superb autumn colour and orange fruits on the bare branches.

For wildlife

In winter, birds peck at the overripe fruits.

Edible and useful

Fruit (October–November)

Pick persimmons in October–November, once they are a deep orange and before the first hard frost; the fruit often hangs on the bare branches. Snip them off with a bit of stalk (do not pull) and handle them gently, because they bruise easily. Many varieties are only edible when they are glassy and soft; before that they taste harsh and leave your mouth dry. Let the fruit ripen indoors on a dish, perhaps next to an apple or banana, until it is soft and almost translucent. A useful trick: leave them in the freezer overnight (or longer) and let them thaw, which makes astringent persimmons sweet and soft. Non-astringent varieties such as ‘Fuyu’ can also be eaten while still firm.

Storing

Firm, unripe persimmons keep for a few weeks in a cool place. Ripe, soft ones keep for 2 to 3 days at most in the fridge. The flesh can be mashed and frozen in portions, where it keeps for six months. Store dried persimmons in a closed jar. Jam keeps for six months.

Caution: Do not eat unripe, astringent persimmons: the tannins leave a dry, furry feeling in the mouth, and large amounts of unripe fruit can upset the stomach, especially on an empty stomach. Eat only fruit that is soft and sweet (or a non-astringent variety). Do not eat the seeds or the calyx. Throw away fruit that is fermenting or mouldy. Do not pick from sprayed trees or beside busy roads, wash the fruit and never eat anything you have not identified with certainty.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Persimmon jam (Jam · ± 3 jars of 250 ml · 45 min)
• Persimmon and cinnamon loaf (Dish · 1 loaf of 25 cm (10 slices) · 1 hr 15 min)
• Dried persimmon slices (Dried · ± 200 g dried fruit · 6–10 hrs)
• Persimmon yoghurt ice cream (Dish · 4 servings · 10 min + 3 hrs freezing)

Did you know?

• Diospyros means ‘wheat of the gods’ or ‘food of the gods’. The tree is related to ebony, which comes from related tropical species.
• The sharon fruit sold in shops is a persimmon variety from Israel whose astringency is removed after picking, so you can eat it firm.
• In Japan, peeled persimmons are hung on strings to dry: hoshigaki, a winter treat.