Diospyros cathayensis Seeds | Chinese Persimmon
LATIN NAME: Diospyros cathayensis
COMMON NAME: Chinese Persimmon
Plant Profile
Diospyros cathayensis is a small evergreen tree of five to ten metres, with leathery oval leaves, inconspicuous greenish flowers and round orange fruit the size of a cherry. It grows on limestone hills in Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan, in thickets that are cut over for firewood.
It is a true persimmon, close enough to the cultivated fruit to be grafted with it, and its timber is dark and hard like the rest of the ebony family. The plant is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate trees, so a single specimen may never fruit. The fruit ripens in late autumn and hangs on the tree into winter, which is when the tree is easiest to find in a thicket.
Science & Biotechnology
The astringency of persimmon fruit comes from proanthocyanidins, long-chain tannins that bind to the proteins of the mouth and dry it out. In the cultivated persimmon the tannin cells coagulate as the fruit softens, which is why a ripe fruit is sweet and a firm one is not.
The species is used in China as a rootstock for Diospyros kaki on limestone soils, where the cultivated persimmon yellows from lime-induced iron deficiency. Grafting onto a local species avoids the problem, and the rootstock also confers some tolerance of wet ground. The tree is also one of the few persimmons that will grow on almost pure limestone, where the pH sits above eight and iron is unavailable to most fruit trees.
Uses & Benefits
The fruit is edible when fully soft, and it is sweet but small, with little flesh around the seed. In the countryside it is picked for children and for birds rather than for market, and it is sometimes dried whole.
The wood is dense, dark and takes a fine polish, and small pieces go into tool handles and into carving. The tree is also grown as an ornamental for its glossy evergreen foliage and its orange fruit in winter, and it clips well enough for a hedge in mild climates. Grafted plants are also trained as penjing, since the species holds its shape and the small leaves reduce well.
Growing from Seed
Sow seed in autumn in a pot of loam and grit, and leave the pot outside for the cold to break dormancy. Germination is spring, and the seedling grows slowly for two years before it makes a leader.
Plant out in sun or light shade on soil that drains, and water through the first two summers. Since the species is dioecious, plant two or graft a male branch into the crown of a female tree if fruit is wanted. Prune in late winter, since the tree bleeds if cut in spring. Young trees benefit from a little shade for the first two summers, since the leaves scorch in full sun on a hot, dry site.
Our Take
A modest evergreen persimmon for a warm garden, useful as a rootstock and pleasant as a specimen. Plant two if you want fruit.
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