tree of the month Belfast Botanic Gardens

Friends of Belfast Botanic Gardens

Tree of the month series - this series of short articles about trees in the Belfast Botanic Gardens is compiled by members of the Friends group and Gardens staff. We aim to build up to a comprehensive archive of trees in Belfast Botanic Gardens. Each article will illustrate a tree growing in Belfast Botanic Gardens together with information from a range of sources.

Click here to view the tree archive

Tree of the Month, August 2009

North American Persimmon

Diospyros virginiana (Ebenaceae)

Barbara Pilcher
The North American persimmon is a native of eastern and southern United States, from New York to Texas. It is closely related to the persimmon D. kaki and to D. lotus the date plum, as well as to D. ebenum the source of ebony.
Rarely seen in Europe, it is exciting to have a handsome young specimen in Belfast. It develops into a tall elegant deciduous tree with distinctive grey-black bark that is sometimes described as tessellated, that is, cracked into irregular squares like tiles (see photo below). The variable leaves are glossy with a pointed tip, and have a sweet scent when crushed. They give a good autumn display.
This species is dioecious (from the Greek meaning two houses): there are separate male and female trees. The Botanic gardens tree is a female. Female flowers are solitary, bell-shaped, about 2 cm long and a pale yellow. Male flowers are clustered and paler. The fruit is round with remnants of the style at the end in the form of a prickle, and is yellow with sometimes a red flush, similar to Sharon fruit though smaller.
Fruiting trees are a familiar sight on roadsides in America, but trees rarely set fruit in the UK, a pity as they are delicious when fully ripe after they have lost their initial astringency. They do best in warmer parts of the country. To secure a crop one male tree should be planted for every 5 female, although female trees may produce seedless fruit if not pollinated.
The wood is particularly hard and resistant to splitting, lending itself to specific uses such as golf club heads, shoe lasts and weaving shuttles, all demanding high quality shock resistance.
Perhaps, if global warming continues, this is a tree that will become more widely planted and a candidate for the orchard.


North American Persimmon tree in Belfast Botanic Gardens	Persimmon tree leaves

Flowering branch of persimmon tree	Flower of persimmon tree

Young developing fruit of persimmon	"Tessellated" bark of persimmon tree