common persimmon Ebenaceae Diospyros virginiana L.   symbol: DIVI5
	Leaf: Alternate, simple, oblong to oval, 2 1/2 to 5 inches long, pinnately-veined, margin entire, lustrous green above and paler or whitened below. Flower: Usually Dioecious; both white to greenish-white and about 1/2 inch long; male flowers in 3's; female flowers solitary and urn-shaped, appear in late spring and early summer. Fruit: A plum-like berry that is green before ripening, turning orange to black when ripe, 3/4 to 2 inches in diameter, leafy bracts on top of fruit. The fruit is very astringent and mouth numbing when green, sweet and edible when ripe after a hard freeze; matures in mid to late fall. Twig: Slender, light brown to gray, maybe scabrous or pubescent; no true terminal bud and twig scar is often very prominent, buds are dark red to black with 2 bud scales, triangular in shape, appressed; leaf scar has one, oval vascular bundle trace. Bark: When young gray-brown with orange in fissures, later becoming much darker, breaking up into square scaly thick plates; reminiscent of charcoal briquettes (very unique). Form: A small to medium sized tree to 60 feet with a round-topped crown of crooked branches. In forest stands the stem may be straight, tall, and slender.
	USDAFS Silvics of North America - USDAFS Additional Silvics - Landowner Factsheet - USDA Plants Database Diospyros virginiana is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting common persimmon (opens a new window).