Diospyros virginiÀna LinnÆus. Persimmon. Plate 123. Small or medium sized trees with deeply and irregularly fissured bark, the ridges broken up into short lengths; twigs pubescent; leaves alternate, oval, oblong-oval or ovate, generally 8-15 cm. long and 3-7 cm. wide, narrowed, rounded or cordate at the base, short pointed at the apex, margin entire but ciliate, slightly pubescent above when young, becoming glabrous on age, more or less pubescent beneath, sometimes glabrous except the midrib and margin; flowers appear in May or June on the year's growth when the leaves are about half grown, greenish yellow, the staminate on one tree and the pistillate on another; fruit ripens in August, September or October, depressed-globose or oblong in shape, 2-3 cm. in diameter, generally with 1-4 very hard flat seed.

Distribution.—Connecticut to Iowa and south to the Gulf. In Indiana it is confined to the south half of the State. We have no record of wild trees being found north of Indianapolis, except Prof. Stanley Coulter reports three trees growing in Tippecanoe County in situations such as to indicate that they are native. It is doubtful if it was ever more than a frequent tree in the original forest. In some of the hill counties of the south central part of the State, it has become a common tree in clearings and abandoned fields. It grows long surface roots from which numerous suckers grow which form the "persimmon thickets." It seems to thrive in the poorest and hardest of soils. However, it reaches its greatest size in the alluvial bottoms of the Lower Wabash Valley. Here large and tall trees have been observed on the low border of sloughs, associated with such water-loving plants as water-locust, button-bush, swell-butt ash, etc. It thrives equally well on the high sandy ridges of Knox and Sullivan Counties.

Plate 123

Remarks.—The fruit is edible and the horticultural possibilities of this tree have never received the attention they deserve. The opinion is current that the fruit does not ripen and is not edible until it is subjected to a frost. This is an error. The best and largest fruit I have ever eaten ripened without a frost. A large native tree on the Forest Reserve in Clark County ripens its fruit in August, which is of an excellent quality and usually has only one, and rarely more than three seeds. The fruit of this tree is of the oblong type. The fruit varies much in size, time of ripening and quality. Some is scarcely edible. Some of the native trees bear fruit when they are not over eight feet tall, some are usually prolific bearers while others bear sparingly. For this reason if one wishes to grow persimmon trees it is best to buy grafted trees from some reliable nurseryman. The tree is hardy throughout Indiana and while it is a very slow growing tree, it can nevertheless be recommended for ornamental and roadside tree planting. It is to be noted that cattle will not browse persimmon, and that hogs greedily eat the ripe fruit. The fruit of many trees does not fall until early winter, and such trees are a granary for several kind of animals of the forest.

The wood is hard, heavy, strong and close-grained. Practically the whole output of persimmon lumber is used in making shuttles. In Indiana the tree is too rare to furnish much lumber.