True Root Nursery

American Persimmon Seedling Bareroot

Species: Diospyros virginiana

History: Native to the southeastern and central areas of the United States, American Persimmon has had a long history of cultivation. The word 'persimmon' is an Anglicized version of the words 'putchamin,' 'pasiminan,' or 'pessamin,' which all mean 'dried fruit' in various Algonquin dialects, reflecting the fruits' usage. It is also common in southern states to trick the unwary into eating the unripe fruit which has an incredibly astringent flavour. Other historical uses for the American Persimmon include turning the seeds into buttons during the American Civil War and using the wood to make items such as pool cues and golf clubs.

Why We Grow It: This unique fruit tree produces a succulently sweet orange fruit that must be extremely ripe before you can eat it. Although it ripens in the summer, the fruit can withstand freezing and hang onto the tree until December. The fruit can be used to make a variety of sweet and savoury dishes and are also very popular among wildlife. Steph has found them great for baking into sweets such as tarts or the pecan and persimmon cookies pictured here!

    $19.50

    Size:

    12 in stock

    Fruit Traits:

    Recommended Use: Fresh eating, cooking, baking, juice

    Fruit Size: Small, begins bearing at 7-10 years

    Storage: Keeps for up to two months if refrigerated when unripe but only a couple days when ripe

    Harvest: July

    Cider Class (if applicable):

    Tree Traits:

    Canadian Hardiness Zone: 5

    Soil Preferance: Deep and well-drained loam

    Flowering Time: Spring - Late

    Bloom Colour: Yellow

    Pollination Requirements: A male and female plant is required for pollination

    Sun/Shade Requirements: Partial to full sun (approx. 6-10 hours of sun daily)

    General Growth Habit: Depending on soil conditions the tree may reach 15-100ft tall. Can grow in zone 4 but fruit generally only ripens in zone 5. Begins bearing fruit at 7-10 years. Flowers in May/June, harvest in July/August

    Overall Disease Resistance Rating*:

    *this rating is combined with our experience growing in our test orchards combined with already available information on the cultivar.

    Shipping: Every year we ship thousands of plants across Canada. We carefully bag roots in damp sawdust, then box them and send them out via courier. CLICK HERE to see our shipping policy.

    Pick-up: We also have thousands of trees picked up from our nursery each year. The pick-up options is free, though you must wait until you have been emailed a confirmation that your order is ready to pick up, which will have further information such as hours, locations, etc.

    We have simplified our crop inventory for grafted fruit trees into two sizes:

    1m+ Grade: this often has some feathering, and is measured including the rootstock.

    50-80cm Grade: this is like a 'b-grade' tree, sometimes with minor scaring or bent, these trees are priced accordingly.

    Three American Persimmons sitting on a table.

    American Persimmon Seedling Bareroot

    $19.50

    $19.50

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