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Diospyros kaki
Also called Asian Persimmon, Kaki, Korean Mango, Sharon Fruit, Persimmon
Japanese persimmon is a deciduous fruit tree, the most widely grown species in the persimmon genus, valued for its sweet orange fruit. It grows best in a warm temperate climate with a distinct winter dormancy.
Diospyros kaki, the Oriental persimmon, Chinese persimmon, Japanese persimmon, kaki persimmon, or Fuyu persimmon, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Diospyros. Although its first botanical description was not published until 1780, D. kaki cultivation in China dates back more than 2000 years.
Diospyros kaki is grown worldwide, with 90 percent of the total in China, Japan and Korea. In East Asia the main harvest time is in the months of October and November. The trees lose their leaves by harvest time. Occasionally, the brightly colored fruit is left unharvested on the tree as a decorative effect.
Cultivation of this species at first spread through East Asia. Since the 19th century, Diospyros kaki partially replaced date-plum (Diospyros lotus, also known as Caucasian persimmon) in some countries in South Europe and West Asia, because of its bigger fruits than date-plum; cultivation in California began at that time.
Apart from tannins, triterpenoid compounds such as α-amyrin, uvaol, ursolic acid, 19α-hydroxy ursolic acid and 19 α,24-dihydroxy ursolic acid can be isolated from the leaves of D. kaki.
The high content of the carotenoids beta-cryptoxanthin, beta-carotene, and zeaxanthin, along with some lutein and alpha-carotene makes the fruit nutritionally valuable.
Mabolo · Diospyros buxifolia · Diospyros diepenhorstii · Ebony · Diospyros egrettarum · Diospyros ferrea · Australian Ebony · Date-plum · Indian Persimmon · Tendu · Black sapote · Diamond Leaf Persimmon
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Diospyros kaki by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
