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Persimmons
American Persimmon
✓ VerifiedAlso known as: Diospyros virginiana
Eastern United States
American persimmon, Diospyros virginiana, is native to the eastern United States and was a genuinely important food source for Indigenous peoples long before European contact, later adopted by European settlers who learned the same traditional practice still followed today: leave the fruit on the ground until after a frost, when the cold breaks down its otherwise mouth-puckering astringency into an intense, honeyed sweetness.
Submitted by @system · 10 days ago
Counts toward the overall Top Tier Fruit list — every category's votes are compared the same way.
Growing & Care
Hardiness zone
USDA Zones 4-9
Chill hours
~400 hours
Pollination
Often needs a male pollinator, since many trees are either male or female — check before buying.
Care info
Genuinely cold-hardy, tolerating far colder winters than any Asian persimmon variety.
Recommendations
Traditionally picked up off the ground after a light frost, when it is at its sweetest.
Flavor Profile
Rich, honeyed, and intensely sweet once fully ripe, distinct from Asian persimmon flavor
Quick facts
Skin color
Orange, small
Size
Small
Hardiness zone
USDA Zones 4-9
Chill hours
400