Summary ¹⁰

Diospyros virginiana is a persimmon species commonly called the American persimmon, common persimmon, eastern persimmon, "simmon", "possumwood", "possum apples", or "sugar-plum". It ranges from southern Connecticut/Long Island to Florida, and west to Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa. The tree grows wild but has been cultivated for its fruit and wood since prehistoric times by Native Americans.

Description ¹⁰

The plant itself is a small to medium sized tree usually 30 to 80 feet (9 to 24 m) in height, with a short, slender trunk and spreading, often pendulous branches, which form a broad or narrow, round-topped canopy. The roots are thick, fleshy and stoloniferous. This species has a shrubby growth form.

Distribution ¹⁰

The tree is very common in the South Atlantic and Gulf states, and attains its largest size in the basin of the Mississippi River. Its habitat is southern, it appears along the coast from Connecticut to Florida; west of the Alleghenies it is found in southern Ohio and along through southeastern Iowa and southern Missouri; when it reaches Louisiana, eastern Kansas and Oklahoma it becomes a mighty tree, one hundred fifteen feet high.

Ecology/Wildlife Use ¹⁰

The fruit is eaten by birds, raccoons, skunks, white-tailed deer, semi-wild hogs, flying squirrels, and opossums.

Read More ¹¹

• https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=279917
• https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/persimmon.htm
• https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=DIVI5

Sources and Credits

1. (c) yakfur, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by yakfur
2. (c) Marija Gajić, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diospyros_virginiana_(4).JPG
3. (c) Magnus Manske, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diospyros_virginia_(Ebenaceae)_(tree).JPG
4. (c) Steve O'Neil, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Steve O'Neil
5. (c) Plant Image Library, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diospyros_virginiana_(Common_Persimmon)_(37535351704).jpg
6. USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diospyros_virginiana,_Persimmon_staminate_flower,_Howard_County,_MD,_Helen_Lowe_Metmzn_2017-06-16-15.37_(35034974653).jpg
7. (c) Arb O'Retum, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/123413440@N05/46566080962/
8. (c) Plant Image Library, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diospyros_virginiana_(Common_Persimmon)_(32797249963).jpg
9. (c) Plant Image Library, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diospyros_virginiana_(Common_Persimmon)_(37535351434).jpg
10. Adapted by Murfreesboro,TN, Natural Resource Division from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diospyros_virginiana
11. (c) Murfreesboro,TN, Natural Resource Division, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Calflora
• CalPhotos
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Go Botany
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• Jepson eFlora
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• VASCAN by Canadensys
• World Flora Online

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