Audubon® Native Common Persimmon Treeling

The Common Persimmon isn’t common at all, although it deserves to be planted more often in landscapes across the country. This noble shade tree is admired for its dark, ruggedly handsome bark, which has a blocky pattern resembling the deep tread of a snow tire. It also delivers a wonderful splash of fall color with foliage that turns glowing yellow and in some cases takes on reddish tones. And on female trees, orange fruits may form that serve up a delectable dollop of all-natural, sugary-sweet goodness—the likes of which you’ll never find in the produce aisle of the grocery store. The “Common” Persimmon is truly extraordinary!

Native from Connecticut to Florida and reaching as far west as Kansas, the Common Persimmon is a part of our country’s natural heritage. Since the days of the earliest Native Americans, its fruits have been a special treat for people in the East and Midwest. Don’t eat them before they’re ripe, though! Biting into a bitter persimmon before it’s ready is a mistake you’ll only make once. When they’re jelly-soft, however, they become as sweet as candy. Because the wood of the Persimmon Tree is incredibly hard, it’s used to make golf club heads. This tree is closely related to Ebony, a tropical tree with extremely dark, dense wood that has traditionally been used to make the black keys on pianos.

One little-known feature of the uncommon Common Persimmon Tree is that it is a favored host plant for the stunning luna moth. This large jade green beauty is a sight you’ll never forget if you’re lucky enough to glimpse one gliding by on a warm summer evening.