Persimmon, Common

This tree is one of the 150 trees initially included in the arboretum to coincide with the campus's 150th anniversary celebration.

Scientific Name:
Diospyros virginiana

Cultivar:

Native to:
Connecticut to Florida, west to Kansas and Texas

Mature Height and Width:
35-60 feet by 20-35 feet, can reach 90 feet high

Additional Notes:
New persimmon stems arise from the roots of trees tens of feet away.  This, along with producing fruit tasty to people and wildlife alike, made persimmon a durable and welcome part of the fields, pastures and farmsteads that once dominated the southern Illinois landscape.  Changes in mowing, grazing and other land management practices, decreased the ideal habitats for persimmon which is now less common than a century ago.