August 26, 2009 | 
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Fruit on Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana)
This is a closeup of the ripening fruit on my Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana) tree. I purchased this tree at a native plant sale about a year ago, and I am delighted to see it already producing so much fruit! If you’re reading this, you might be wondering if the fruit is edible. Yep! They are sweet and tasty – and I’ve documented what they look like inside and out in a series of photographs. 
This little tree looks like a “baby” tree, between 5-6 feet tall. I am hoping it will grow to about 15 feet, as the species reportedly1 ranges from 12-36 feet tall. This little gem is very happy in my front yard, where it gets full Texas sun.
top view
I collected 13 ripe persimmons late yesterday, and set them on a stone on the ground, near one of my bird baths. They were all still there this afternoon, so I moved some of them to the Bird Lounge (my name for the nifty bird thing I built). Birds and animals like the fruit, and I understand why. I’ve set a few of these out on the Bird Lounge before, only to have them disappear overnight, with just the seeds and skin left behind.
bottom view
This tree is related to Ebony (they are in the same genus: Diospyros). Apparently the Texas Persimmon will develop black heartwood if it grows for a long time and gets large enough.
side view
Native to northern Mexico as well, the Texas Persimmon is also known as Mexican Persimmon and Chapote Negro.2 It takes 5-6 years before the tree starts to produce fruit – only growing 2 – 3.6 feet in 5 years.3. Since my tree is about 6 feet tall, it could be 8-15 years old.
cut in half
The botanist who named this tree is George Heinrich Adolf Scheele (1808-1864)4 I’ve spent waaaay too much time trying to learn more about him to share here. I did learn on wildflower.org that Scheele was a contemporary and colleague of Lindheimer, who is huge in Texas natural history.
what was left after I ate half
I peeled the thin skin off of one half of the persimmon and popped it in my mouth. I didn’t need to chew – and I knew there were seeds – so I mushed it around in my mouth until there were only seeds left.
skin from the persimmon
this is what the inside looks like if you smash it
Everywhere I have looked for information about this tree and its fruit, I have found reference to the staining that occurs from the fruit. Several sources noted that people in Mexico use the fruit to stain hides. One source even described the fruit stain as indelible.
I poked several seeds down into the dirt in my herb garden – we’ll see if they sprout (then check back in about 15 years to see how it’s doing!). I’ll leave you with a photo-link to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, of a huge specimen photographed by Sally and Andy Wasowski:
Sally and Andy Wasowski, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=DITE3 ↩
- Texas Trees, by Paul W. Cox and Pattie Leslie, ©1988 ↩
- Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Diospyros texana. In: Fire Effects Information System, Online. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ 2009, August 26 ↩
- http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/George_Heinrich_Adolf_Scheele ↩
Posted in Flora
Hi Amber,
I’m lucky enough to have several Texas Persimmon trees on my land, and other than eating one now and then, I’m wondering if there are any recipes for these little fruits. The deer and birds love them and, while I’m not crazy about them, they are tasty and it’d be fun to do something with them. I bet persimmon wine would be novel…
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Lon
I am looking for branches from the texas persimmon tree. Is there trimming
done? thanks, la
Hi Louann-are you looking for live branches or deadfall? My tree is much too small for either, but perhaps Lon could help you out…?
Persimmon wine…neat idea. I think that these persimmons would work well in recipes that call for raisins. Maybe a persimmon bread recipe?
…Ok, I just did a quick search, and found one – supposedly from a Waffle House in Waxahachie, TX! Here you go: http://all-recipes.org/quick-bread/persimmon-bread.html
Lon, I forgot to ask – how large are your Texas Persimmon trees? And how old?
Good job on the recipe! I’ll have to put it to the test (if I can get my wife to bake it – I have no talent there).
I have several trees with some too large to reach the top fruits. No idea on the number or their age, but I just feel wasteful watching the fruits ripen and not doing something with them. Most of my trees are closer to the last photo above than the first, but none are quite that big.
Dear Lon,
I “found a persimmon tree here in Portland, OR. YUM!!! The friut is small, only a couple inches across. But the amazing thing is the flavor. The owner doesn’t care for them, so I get to enjoy them. They taste like some exotic Oriental pudding…spicy and full falvored… Ever hear of these?
Janet
Janet, sounds like our little gems, but unlike the saying “Everything’s bigger in Texas”, ours only get about an inch across (see Amber’s pics). You get a whole lot more eatin’ outta yours! May be the difference of a nursery-grown variety versus our native species. Either way – enjoy ‘em! The flavor is all there, isn’t it?
Lon
Hey Lon, you’ll have to let me know how the persimmon-bread turns out if your wife will bake it for you. I don’t think I have enough fruit left on my little tree to try it myself, but now I’m curious!
Amber,
We talked last September, well, my persimmon trees are looking outstanding with all the rain since then, and I’m anticipating a banner crop. If your tree doesn’t produce enough fruits for you, I’m sure I’ll have plenty to share. Just let me know if you have any interest.
Let me know if you’ve found any other recipes.
Lon
Hey, Lon, good to hear from you! My tree is looking awesome too – I’ll keep my fingers crossed that I get enough fruit to try them in a recipe and share with the critters. If not, I’ll take you up on that offer.
Hi, I have been looking for this tree via online nurseries and can’t find it anywhere. I am in SE Arizona (high desert, USDA Zone
and can grow other types of persimmons, but would love to find one of these. Any suggestions?
Also, your tree fruits without a male? I know the Asian persimmons are self-fertile, but the eastern US persimmons have separate male and female trees needed to produce fruit on the females.
Thanks,
Jean
Hi Jean – I just read at wildflower.org that the Texas Persimmon does have male and female trees, with fruit on the female. Hmmm…I don’t remember seeing the flowers. And I if just wasn’t paying attention, I guess that a bee or some other pollinator must have visited a male in the vicinity. Now I’m curious – will let you know if I learn more about this.
As for where you might find one to purchase – you might want to visit Tohono Chul Park in Tucson. Their website says that they have a Texas Persimmon on display, that they have native plant sales twice per year, and that they have a greenhouse open year-round. If you don’t have any luck finding the tree there, I’d be happy to send you a packet of seeds after the fruits from my tree ripen this summer. Just let me know!
I got 2 at Desert Survivors in Tucson!
I meant to type ‘zone 8′ above!
Awesome, where did you buy this from?
Or where in Central TX can you buy it?
Well hello, veryjealous. I bought this Texas Persimmon tree at the Heard Natural Science Museum in McKinney, TX. They have plant sales twice per year, and I always go to one of them.
Central Texas…Austin area?
Thank you for the info about Tohono Chul Park in Tucson, will visit there soon and find out if they have any Texas Persimmons for sale!
You’re welcome, Jean.
Louann,
I can help you out with some branches. Let me know what you need. I’m about 35 miles south of Austin.
Hey Lon, I’m not having the banner crop I thought I would have after all. I forgot about that late snow we had…wondering if that has something to do with the meager fruiting this year.
Lon – do you water your trees or let them survive on whatever rainfall you get? About how much new growth have you seen this year on yours? I’ve been surprised by the several inches of new growth on mine, might not have to wait 15yrs for it to get to 10ft after all…
Hi Amber,
My crop is looking great – in fact a ate a couple persimmons about a week ago.
They only get what God gives them. I don’t do any watering. Can’t give you a good guess on the growth, but, as I say, they are fruiting quite well.
I think I’ve run my mouth a bit too much and have gotten some neighbors interested in doing a group harvest and making up a few recipes all at once. One house makes this and the next makes that, so I may need a few recipes to pass around. If you need more fruit, there is more than enough around here. I even have a neighbor with a few hundred acres and she said to come harvest all I want.
Looks like a harvest in 2-3 weeks my be about right.
Lon
That’s a lot of Texas Persimmon trees! If you get a chance, will you snap a picture of a good grouping of several trees, with all the fruit still on before you harvest?
YES I JUST MOVED TO TX AND IAM FROM iND AND THEY HAVE LOTS OF THESE TREES WE MAKE A PUDDING FROM THEM FOR THANKSGIVING , IT IT SO GOOD ITS A THICK BREADING AND YOU PUT COOL WHIP ON IT . I MISS HAVING IT THEN .ITS CALLED PERSIMAN PUDDING , YOU CAN LOOK IT UP ONLINE OK
I’ll do my best. You may have to tell me how to get them to you…
Gather all the recipes you have for persimmons and get them up here or send them to me – I think I’ll need all I can get.
…by the way, in the real world, I’m a dealer for a few brands of optics and should anyone need a binocular or spotting scope, I’ve get some great products.
If any of you who have Persimmon trees have fruit this year and are in the Austin, Texas area, I’d love to buy some from you, especially if it’s organic. I am Filipino and persimmons are my favorite fruit. Please let me know in an email.
I live in Houston Texas Does anyone know where I can buy a Texas Persimmion Tree?
Nick, a good place to start would be to contact Houston’s Native Plant Society. Their web address is: http://www.npsot.org/Houston/index.htm
I just moved into my house a few months ago and noticed the fruit recently. I have huge trees with tons of berries. I can’t reach the top of my trees to get fruit but even if I could what would I do with it? Other then the bread recipe what do you do with these pretty little things?
Connie (and Lon) – I’m gonna have to do some research for more recipes using Texas Persimmons. Off the top of my head, I’m sure they would make a nice jelly, and probably good as dried fruit. The fruits are chock-full of seeds, so whatever the end product, it would have to be able to use juice and/or mashed fruit, probably with skins removed.
This will be fun!
Amber, please keep me posted on the recipe search! I’m going to need some.
Manuel, I believe there will be plenty of fruits in my area (Wimberley). When they are ready, I’ll try to reach you and they can probably be had just for the picking. Do you have any recipes for presereving them? And have you tried the Texas persimmon? They are different than commercially available fruits and may not be what you are looking for.
Hi Lon – I flipped through several old Texas-themed recipe books this weekend while visiting Johnson City. No luck, but I’m far from defeated! Will keep looking!
Hi Lon! Thanks for the info about your trees in Wimberley. Please let me know when the fruits are ready for harvest there. I’ve only tried the commercial persimmon at the HEB Central Market, Whole Foods, and Asian Markets here in Austin. Are the Texas varieties that much different? I love the taste of the commercial ones — sweet, but not too much, and that unique buttery flavor they have. Are the Texas ones tart? Keep in touch.
Manuel – the Texas Persimmons are very different, but still tasty. They are black when ripe, smaller than commercial varieties (see photos in this post), and I’d have to eat another one to accurately describe the flavor. The persimmons growing on my tree are not yet ripe – gives me time to dig up some more recipes!
Amber, please keep up the search. Although I’ve had a few ripen, the majority are still green. I think the best way I can describe the taste is kind of like a gooey raisin… Manuel, I’ll let you know when it’s time – probably a few weeks yet. I have permission to pick persimmons on my neighbor’s 400 acres, so there will be plenty of fruit. I’ll keep you posted.
I’ve perused some Texas cookbooks in a Hill Country antiques store – no luck. I’ve also looked through a line of Texas jams and jellies at my local farmer’s market – no luck. I’m nowhere close to giving up though! Will keep you posted!
I love Persimmons, I did not know that they had a Texas Persimmon, how interesting to be black in color, I never saw one like that,….I have 2 fuju persimmon trees in my back yard but they are having a hard time!! the squirels do not let the fruit ripen, they are a niusance!!
Texas Persimmons, a native fruit, are well-liked by our wildlife. I was just visiting Perdernales State Park last weekend, and was thrilled to see Texas Persimmon trees growing there. I even saw evidence that the local wildlife was indeed eating the fruits…makes a very dark “scat,” full of those seeds. I’ll go ahead and leave you with that mental image.
I think we’ll start seeing more of the Texas persimmon on the future, with the help of the birds, new plants will start growing. I will ask my nursery if they can get them….. I live in The Spring Area, near Houston, never saw a plant with the dark fruits, it is quite atractive .
Ok, here’s a jelly recipe, straight from my county extension service!
(Texas) Persimmon Jelly Recipe
Ingredients:
3.5 to 4 lbs ripe persimmons
2 cups water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 pkg powdered pectin
1 cup honey
Directions:
Wash fruit, remove blossom ends. Put in 6 to 8 quart non reactive pot. Add water. Bring to boil. Mash persimmons. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Use food mill or strainer to remove pits. Measure 3 cups of pulp. Stir in lemon juice and pectin. Bring to boil and add honey all at once. Bring to full rolling boil and boil 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Jar, seal and BWB 5 minutes.
I bought a Japanese persimmon, which was a graft from other tree. From the root came up one tree, and it produces persimmon, about the size of a plum, but it’s not black. It’s green and astringent, but turns orange when ripe and becomes very sweet. The leaf is about 3 inches in length, and is very prolific. It now has new tree coming up everywhere around its vicinity.
I always thought it was native Texas persimmon, but after seeing these pictures I know it’s not a Texas persimmon.
I have several Asian persimmon cultivars as well that are grafted, and from what I’ve learned, usually the popular Diospyros kaki (Fuyu, Hachiya, and other varieties) are grafted onto the rootstock of Diospyros lotus, the Date Plum persimmon, a different Asian species. It also produces good tasting fruit, that is for some reason seldom marketed in the US. My Nikita’s Gift persimmon had the grafted scion die, and now I have a Date Plum growing from the rootstock.
Thank you for the reply. I was wondering what variety it was.
I don’t know why that variety is not marketed in the U.S., but based on the height of the tree and the size of the fruit I can speculate. My tree, now over 10 years old, has already grown taller than my house. I usually cannot reach the fruit until they fall down. So, they are usually already eaten by birds, ants, or both. It’s very tasty, but very small, less than 1 inch in diameter. These might be why they are not marketed here.
I saw some Texas Persimmon at the HEB Central Market in Austin, so the fruit must be ready for harvesting. Is anyone in the Central Texas area allowing buyers to come get some from their home/farms? I’d rather buy direct from growers, than from HEB. I heard someone in Wimberley might have some? Please let me know! Thanks! Manuel
If you search persimmon under “for sale” on craigslist in Austin, you will find someone selling them in Boerne, Texas. I think they want $1 each. There is also one from Mexia, Texas, that sells on Saturdays at Farmer’s Market on 4th and Guadalupe. The price is 7 for $5.
Thank you so much. We’ve been living in our new home for a year now and the neighborhood kids kept insisting that the fruit on our tree was edible. We had no idea what this tree was, but it’s so pretty. Exciting to know they are right! Thanks again.
Hi Cathy – glad to help. Yep, they are edible and pretty tasty, though I suggest just mushing them around in your mouth so that you can spit the seeds out. There are lots of seeds!
Just visited the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum in Superior, Arizona this weekend…absolutely beautifully planted Arboretum, and they have a huge mature Texas Persimmon on display. Also they had several small seedlings and larger Texas Persimmons for sale in their fall plant sale. I had previously bought two small trees from Tohono Chul Park in Tucson, but I’ll probably get a few more from Boyce-Thompson next time I go out there. The mature tree I saw there was not fruiting (perhaps it was a male) but I saw females loaded with fruit at Tohono Chul Park about a month and a half ago. Worth a visit if you are in Arizona!!
Hi Jean – my little Texas Persimmon has grown this year, but has not produced much fruit. I think our late snow has affected many of the trees and plants – most of mine have had an odd growing season. The persimmons that have ripened haven’t lasted long – the animals sure love them. Maybe if the tree produces more fruit next year, I’ll get to have one or two for myself.
Anyone know how long it takes for the tree to start producing fruit? I planted a small Texas Persimmon three years ago and haven’t seen any flowers or fruit so far. The tree is beautiful but I’m afraid I have a male.
Hi Ruth, well I just bought my 3rd Texas persimmon from a nursery in town a month ago because out of their newly acquired group of trees, one WAS fruiting so I knew it was a female! It is only 3 1/2 feet tall, but had a decent crop on it, so seems like they do fruit fairly early for their size. Just saw another in a different local nursery (probably the same shipment though, same grower), about four feet tall with fruit. My first two are more like 1 foot tall, so who knows if those are males or females, but I at least now have one female. Of course, you may have a female that just hasn’t been pollinated with male pollen, so no fruit this year. What I guess we all need to do is compare photos of the tiny flowers in the spring to see the morphology. I hope my little trees bloom!
By the way, the East Tucson nurseries I saw more Texas Persimmons at were Civano’s on Houghton and Mesquite Valley Growers on Speedway. Neither nursery had them in stock until about a month ago.
Hey there to all, Very informative posts & comments. I am going to add some persimmon trees for feeding my chickens – I got the bug from here – http://avianaquamiser.com/posts/Persimmons_for_chickens/-they are located where they can use American or Asian persimmons. My search for West Texas friendly species led me to your site. We have some wild Texas Persimmons so, we are right on track. Thanks for all the info you have included here. Happy Trails!
This has been a great ongoing discussion – glad it has helped.
Since I know I have a female tree, I am thinking about looking for a male, just to be sure I always have fruit.
Jean, I’ll be looking around this spring as well – maybe we can work out a good way to identify males from females at the flowering stage.
Anyone from san Antonio or Austin want home grown persimmons? My crop is about to come in- starting to turn black and I will need to pick soon before the deer strip them out this yr- they are starving… Give me price you are interested in and you will get handpicked 1 inch fruit.
Hi Kim,
I’m in north Austin, near Round Rock and I love persimmons. I’m used to the orange variety in California and stores, so the black variety is new to me, but I bet I’ll like them. Can I bid $2.99 a pound? I can give you whatever you think they are worth. I’m just guessing on the price.
Anyone know where i can by a persimmon tree? Fort worth texas area or wichita fallas texas area?
Hi Kristen,
I’m down in the Wimberley area (south of Austin), but I just saw Tx persimmon trees for sale at the local nursery. If you have no luck in your area, I could try to get the supplier info and you could order from them. Let me know if you need the help.
Lon