?American Persimmon
Botanical details of buds, flowers and fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Ebenales Family: Ebenaceae Genus: Diospyros Species: D. virginiana
Binomial name
Diospyros virginiana L.

Diospyros virginiana, the American persimmon, is a tree native to the Eastern United States. Its ranges from New England to Florida, and west to Texas and Kansas. The tree grows wild but has been cultivated for its fruit and wood since 1629. American persimmon botanical drawing From USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta - rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta - zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta - trimerophytes Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also called angiosperms) are a major group of land plants. ... Orders See text. ... Ebenales was a plant order in the old Cronquist classification system. ... Genera Diospyros Euclea The Ebenaceae are a family of flowering plants, which includes ebony and persimmon. ... Species 450-500; see text Diospyros is a genus (including what used to be Maba) of about 450-500 species of deciduous and evergreen trees. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as , (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[1] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Official language(s) See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 268,581 sq mi (695,622 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Events March 4 - Massachusetts Bay Colony is granted a Royal charter. ...

D. virginiana grows to 20 meters (65.62 feet), in well-drained soil. The tree produces fragrant flowers in summer, the flowers are dioecious so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. The flowers are pollinated by insects and wind. Fruiting typically begins when the tree is about six years old. Plant sexuality deals with the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. ... A flower-fly pollinating a Common Daisy (Bellis perennis) Pollination is an important step in the reproduction of seed plants: the transfer of pollen grains (male gametes) to the plant carpel, the structure that contains the ovule (female gamete). ...

The fruit of the American persimmon is round or oval. The fruit color is usually orange, ranging to black. Fruit size is varies from 2 - 6 centimeters (0.79 - 2.36 inches).

Commercial varieties include the very productive Early Golden, the productive John Rick, Woolbright, and Miller and the Ennis–seedless variety.

Uses

The fruit is high in vitamin C. The unripe fruit is extremely astringent.The ripe fruit may be eaten raw, cooked or dried. Molasses can be made from the fruit pulp. A tea can be made from the leaves and the roasted seed is used as a coffee substitute. 3D representation of vitamin C Chemical structure of vitamin C Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient and vitamin essential for life and for maintaining optimal health. ... Molasses or treacle is a thick syrup by-product from the processing of the sugarcane or sugar beet into sugar. ... Tea leaves in a Chinese gaiwan. ... A cup of coffee Coffee is a popular beverage prepared from the roasted seeds (not beans, though they are almost always called coffee beans) of the coffee plant. ...

External links

• Diospyros virginiana images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu