Diospyros blancoi Seeds | Velvet Apple
LATIN NAME: Diospyros blancoi
COMMON NAME: Velvet Apple
Plant Profile
Diospyros blancoi, commonly known as Velvet Apple, is an evergreen tree. Velvet apple is dark, furry fruit of warm garden, and orange flesh tastes of caramel and the custard. Tree is a fine, curious presence of warm garden and the orchard. It is a tree of open, sunny, well-drained ground. Plants that offer this much while asking this little are rare enough to treasure.
Science & Biotechnology
Seed science, comparative botany and horticultural selection all touch on Diospyros blancoi, a representative of the Diospyros group with clear practical value. Continuing work by breeders and collectors keeps good seed of this species moving through the trade.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Velvet Apple earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Velvet apple is a fine, curious tree of warm garden and the orchard. Velvet apple is one of curious sweet fruits of warm table, and furry, brown skin opens to orange, caramel flesh. Glossy leaves hold tree neat through the year. Thereafter it wants only the ordinary attentions any garden plant receives.
Persimmons are carotenoid-rich fruit, and their tannins made unripe fruit a traditional astringent; ebony relatives yield the world’s blackest cabinet wood.
Growing from Seed
Seed is the natural starting point for Velvet Apple, and the process is uncomplicated. Use a fine, free-draining seed compost, scatter the seed evenly, cover it lightly and hold it just moist in good light. Grow the youngsters on steadily in pots until well rooted, then move them to their final positions.
Our Take
It is a solid representative of the Diospyros group, true to type from seed. Its wants are few — a sunny spot, soil that drains, and time to settle in.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Velvet Apple often pair it with these related subjects: