Homegrown Habitat, December 2025: American Persimmon
American persimmon is delicious but If you try to eat it before it’s ripe, prepare for powerful puckering. Photo courtesy of Mary Free/Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia
Sarah Middeleer writes this month about a tree that’s hard-to-find in the wild but which sounds like a super addition to any yard or garden. We’d be interested in knowing where American persimmon grows in the wild in Connecticut. If you know, or if you have other thoughts or experiences with this amazing tree, email Sarah: homegrown@ctaudubon.org
American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), also known as possumwood, date plum, winter plum, and others, is a fascinating deciduous tree in the ebony family. It is native to much of eastern and central U.S.
The Latin species name, Diospyros, translates to food of the gods. But to experience this heavenly treat you have to wait until long after you’d expect: the plum-sized, apricot-hued berry is palatable only after the leaves fall, after a hard frost or two, and when the fruit looks as if it’s starting to rot—soft and wrinkled. (If you try to eat persimmons before they are ripe, prepare for powerful puckering.)
But now there’s a rush to harvest these treasures before numerous animals and songbirds do. Might as well take just a few for yourself and your family and then celebrate how many birds and other creatures will be nourished by the remaining fruit.
You may also be glad that your tree’s flowers and leaves served countless pollinators, including butterflies, moths, and bees (specialist and generalist) all season. Persimmon is host to at least 43 moth species, including io, imperial, regal, and luna. Many moth larvae on your tree ensured the survival of songbird nestlings nearby.
Such is the deep pleasure, mixed with gratitude and awe, savored by ecologically minded gardeners. It’s addictive.
Wild populations of persimmon are rare in Connecticut, documented only in New Haven County. The Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center at Milford Point has several persimmon trees, possibly descendents of an original population there.
American persimmon is dioecious, meaning that individuals are either male or female.The flowers of both sexes, appearing in spring and early summer, are greenish white to yellow, bell shaped, and fragrant. Photo courtesy of Elaine Mills/Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia.
A variety of soil types suit American persimmon, including sandy, clayey, and rocky. But it grows best in moist, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. It can tolerate dry conditions once established. Due to its deep taproot, persimmon is very difficult to transplant.
Persimmon can grow very tall in southern and midwestern bottomlands, but in northern parts it tends to grow to about 30 feet. It will sprout from the base after being cut back, so persimmon could even be grown as a large shrub.
This tree is dioecious, meaning that individuals are either male or female. Both must be present for pollination and fruiting to occur, although only one male is needed for numerous females within 100 feet. The flowers of both sexes, appearing in spring and early summer, are greenish white to yellow, bell shaped, and fragrant.
Persimmon leaves are large, glossy, elliptical, and dark green, lending it a somewhat tropical appearance. Fall foliage can be variable but is often vibrant gold, orange, and red. The bark develops a furrowed, blocky appearance (often called alligator bark) at maturity. Persimmon heartwood is black and so dense that it sinks in water.
Persimmon will produce clonal offspring, which can be controlled by cutting them at the base. But allow a grove to form if you have room, which will expand nesting and shelter opportunities.
Consider combining persimmon with other understory trees such as sassafras, hornbeam and American holly, as well as shrubs like witch hazel and native viburnums, to create a rich edge zone (or ecotone) between a forested area and an open one like lawn. Such edge habitats are vital to many songbirds and are particularly suitable for persimmon.
Persimmon can also be used effectively as a lawn specimen, which highlights its picturesque branching pattern and multi-season interest. As with any native lawn tree, create a wide bed beneath it–expanding the bed over time to match the width of the canopy–to provide a safe place for overwintering insects that descend from above. Plant this bed with native grasses, ferns, and/or perennials.
Indigenous peoples evidently cultivated persimmon in orchards; since then it has continued to be used for many culinary and medicinal purposes. Fruiting age is three to nine years, with good crops occurring every two years.
Note: The persimmon fruit sometimes available in grocery stores are Asian species.
Resources
Books
Rosenbaum, Jared, Wild Plant Culture a Guide to Restoring Edible and Medicinal Native Plant Communities, New Society Publishers, 2023
Guy Sternberg and Jim Wilson, Native Trees for North American Landscapes from the Atlantic to the Rockies, Timber Press, 2004
Websites
NewYork Natural Heritage Program
National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder
Connecticut Public Radio Garden Journal
North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
