The genus Diospyros includes the two major types of persimmon trees, the American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) and the Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki), both grown in the United States. Both types of persimmon trees have bark with unusual coloring and a unique pattern. The inner bark of persimmon trees turns yellow when exposed to air. Each type of persimmon tree comes in many varieties.
The American persimmon tree, also called common persimmon, is native to the United States, growing 15 to 50 feet tall in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. It produces 1-inch, round, golden fruit, savored by wildlife and humans. The Japanese persimmon tree, also called Chinese persimmon, hails from Asia and reaches a height of about 20 to 30 feet. It bears red, round or oval fruits, 3 to 6 inches in diameter. The Japanese persimmon tree is valued for its fruit and ornamental value and thrives in USDA plant hardiness zones 7 through 9. Both types of persimmon trees have bark and fruits with astringent activity, but some varieties of Japanese persimmon trees, such as "Fuyu" (D. kaki "Fuyu"), lack astringency.
Persimmon trees belong to the ebony (Ebenaceae) family of trees that are valued for their dark wood. Unlike the bark of other fruit trees, the bark of the American and Japanese persimmon trees is distinguished by its blackish color. The bark of the current year's twig color is brown or gray, but turns blackish during the following growing season.
The deeply fissured bark, forming distinct rectangles, is one of the most recognizable features of persimmon trees. Unlike other fruit trees that have vertical ridges that run up and down their trunk, persimmon trees display a pattern made up of blocks. The unusual bark pattern, even in the absence of any other clue, makes persimmon trees one of the easiest trees to identify.
Persimmon trees are generally pest and disease free. However, trees can be infested with the gummosis fungus (Botryspharia dothidia), flatheaded borers or by scales that attach to the bark on branches and twigs. When wounds in the tree bark are created by mechanical means or the gummosis fungus, metallic wood beetles of the family Buprestidae lay eggs in the wounds. The larvae that emerge are called flatheaded borers. Flatheaded borers eat the inner bark and can severely damage limbs. Both soft and armored scales will suck sap from branches and twigs. Correct timing of insecticide application is critical for eliminating both kinds of pests.
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