Order:     Ericales
Family:    Ebenaceae - Ebony wood family
Genus:     Diospyros

Is considered a 'true berry'.

Latin Name:
Diospyros virginiana (USA) - bitter (Hachiya type)
Diospyros kaki (Japan) - sweet (Fuyu type) pr. 'kaki' Jap. 'shizi' China
Diospyros lotus - Middle East - Date Plum
Many others ....with various qualities.

The word Persimmon is an east American term (c.1600); putchamin, pessemmins, pichamins, pushemins. From Powhatan, an Algonquian language (related to Blackfoot, Cree and Mohican).

Appearance:
Soft, red or orange fruit. Lasts on the tree into winter. Bark is also used for astringent. Young fruits have high tannins and are not palatable. ~2cm-8cm diameter. American variety smaller and more yellow in colour. The calyx remains on the fruit when picked so can be used to tie with string for drying (var. Hachiya).

Anecdotal:
Fruit of the Gods, Apple of the Gods
This species is one candidate for the lotus mentioned in the Odyssey: it was so delicious that those who ate it forgot about returning home and wanted to stay and eat lotus with the lotus-eaters. The fruit leather is very more-ish!

Eat alone with:
Rich cheeses, cream, citrus rind, nuts.

Mix with:
Pastries
Creams, sugars
Other fruits
Salads

Uses Food:
Can be used fresh, dried fruit leathers, jams and jellies, cookies, puddings and cakes, ice-cream and sweet sauces. Pulp freezes well. Great with salad bitters. Can make a brandy.

Other Uses:
Timbers are hard but can crack. Used for golf club 'woods', veneers, woodwork.
Cigarettes - Leaves of the Coromandel Ebony (D. melanoxylon) are used to roll South Asian beedi cigarettes.
Dye - D. mollis is used in Vietnam to dye black.
Bark used for astringent properties (digestion issues, skin)
Some unripe fruit varieties have been used in India as a preservative for coating fishing nets, and the seams of boats!
Shade tree. Deep rooting, will draw deep nutrients.

Provenance:
Appears to have broad distribution and grows in many climatic conditions. Native to Japan and China, Eastern USA, Middle East. In Japan Persimmons (sweet) are third only to mandarin, oranges and grapes in consumption.

Fruiting:
Fruit is borne on the current season's branch growth.

Propagation:
Grafting to fuyu root stock in winter, whip style, or cleft. Trim tap root to encourage lateral roots.
From Seed

Aspect:
Full sun. Not wind tolerant: Prefers higher moisture but is drought tolerant.

Soils:
Persimmon grows best on loamy soils. Light, sandy soils are not suitable, but it will grow on many other soil types and is tolerant of heavy clay soils if drainage is not severely impeded. Soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5 is preferred. Excessive nitrogen fertilization will force vegetative growth, so moderate fertilizer applications are desirable.

Diseases:
Crown gall
Fruit drop (physiological causes, including excessive shoot growth, insufficient sunlight, and lack of Pollination)

Insects:
Mealybugs
Ants (associated with mealybugs)
Thrips, Mites
Fruit flies

Nutrition:
(Japanese) 70-80 calories per 100g and contains contains 20% carbohydrates. High in glucose, with a balanced protein profile, potassium.

Ethnomedicinal:
In traditional Chinese medicine the fruit regulates ch'i
The raw fruit is used to treat constipation and hemorrhoids, and to stop bleeding. As such, it is not a good idea to consume too many persimmons at once as they can induce diarrhea
The cooked fruit is used to treat diarrhea and dysentery
The apparent contradictory effect of the raw and cooked fruit is due to its osmotic effect in the raw fruit sugar (causing diarrhea), and the high tannin content of the cooked fruit helping with diarrhea.

Medical Warnings:
Do not eat on empty stomach, do not eat with crab meat, over-use can create bezoars (balls for stomach) requiring surgery.

Information Sources:
scpa.org.au
thebegavalley.org.au/seedsavers.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persimmon
www.extento.hawaii.edu/kbase/default.htm
www.medicinalfoodnews.com/vol05/issue2/persimmon.htm
www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/senior/fruits/fruits.htm
freegroups.net/recipes/P/86282.shtml
ooooby.ning.com/profile/KirstenPorteous
www.medicinalfoodnews.com/vol05/issue2/persimmon.htm
forestry.about.com/od/hardwoods/p/persimmon.htm
www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/kings/diospyros.html

Recipes:

1. Persimmon Ice-cream
Freeze blended, deseeded and skinned fruit pulp. Mix with cream and zest of lime before service!

2. Persimmon Biscuits
1/2 c Butter
1 Whole egg
1 c Sugar
2 c  Flour

1/2 ts Cinnamon
1/2 ts Cloves
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Nutmeg

1 ts Baking soda
1 c  Chopped walnuts (or other nuts)
1 c  Raisins
1 c  Mashed persimmon

Method:
Add baking soda to mashed persimmons, and set aside. Cream butter, sugar, egg. Mix flour and spices to butter mix and add nuts and raisins. Add thickened persimmon. Mix well. Drop on to baking sheet and bake at 180 degrees 15min.