Accession Count: 2

Diospyros texana

Common Name: Texas persimmon
Family Name: Ebenaceae
Botanical Name: Diospyros texana
Sub Species:
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:

<span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
"Tahoma",sans-serif">The Texas Persimmon is a deciduous or semi-evergreen large
shrub or small tree normally growing to 3-5 m (10-15 ft) tall
but potentially reaching 12 m (35 ft) in the southern parts of its range.  It is usually multi-trunked and has very hard
wood.  The heartwood, produced in very large, older trunks, is black, similar
to the heartwood of its relative (Diospyros ebenum), and its sapwood is
clear yellow. Bark is light gray to white, smooth, thin, and sometimes peeling
off in rectangular flakes to reveal a pink-coral layer beneath. Leaves can be up
to 4 cm (2 in) usually only grow to 2 cm (1 in). They are firm, rounded or
slightly notched at the tip, and obovate tapering toward the base with glabrous or
tomentose leaf surfaces, and smooth margins that curve downward. Flowers that appear
in March and April are dioecious, white, urn shaped, approximately 1 cm (1/2
in) long, and arranged singly or in small clusters among the new leaves. When flowers
are successfully pollinated, they will produce a black to dark purple 2 cm (1
in) fleshy, round and sweet fruit at maturity in late July to September. <o:p></o:p>

Compound: Dio tex
Geographic Origin: Texas/Northeast Mexico
Ecozone Origin: Nearctic
Biome Origin:
Natural History: This tree is thought to have originated somewhere in Southern Texas; however there are no reported occurrences of this plants seeds from archeological sites in South Texas. It grows commonly in brushy areas on level uplands, stony hillsides,
and lower slopes from Houston and Bryan, Texas, in the east, west to Big Bend
in west Texas and south to Nuevo Leon in northeastern Mexico (1, 4). It is very common
in central and south Texas (4). 

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"Tahoma",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p>

Cultivation Notes: Texas persimmon germinates readily from fresh seed (4). Seed can be collected from ripe freshly harvested fruit from August through October (4). Air-dried seeds should be stored in sealed container and refrigerated. Avoid prolonged cold-moist storage as this will induce dormancy and delay germination. Seedlings are also sensitive to damping-off and root rot (4). Avoid excess moisture in early stages of development. 

In the landscape, Texas persimmon is low water use, highly drought and heat tolerant plant that prefers sun, and alkaline >7.2  pH soil, that is well-drained, including limestone loams, and clays or caliche (4). North of the Rio Grande Valley, where the winters are cold, this tree will most likely be deciduous; however, if found southward from the Rio Grande Valley—then the tree will be “semi-deciduous-to-evergreen (1, 4).
Ethnobotany:
The plant is primarily valued as a small and interesting landscape ornamental specimen tree due to its nice form, striking trunk and branches, pleasant fragrance and sweet edible fruit (4). It is also used to produce a dye from the fruit and lumber for wood working (4). The fruit of the Texas Persimmon can be used as an astringent for treating sores in the throat and mouth (2, 3). The Cherokee also used the trees fruit to treat hemorrhoids, and they chewed the bark to treat heartburn (2, 3). Wildlife, especially birds and mammals but especially deer and javelina eat the fruit and butterflies are attracted to the flowers (4).


Height: 16 - 20 feet
Width: 6 - 10 feet
Growth Rate: Moderate Growing
Grow Season: Spring
Flower Season: Spring
Color: White
Function: Accent
Spread: Non-spreading
Allergen: Non-allergenic
Invasive: Benign
Toxicity: Benign
Hardy: Semi-hardy
Water Use: Low water Use

Citations:
  1. Marcus, J. A. (2010, 02 07). Diospyros texana scheele. Retrieved from http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=DITE3
  2. Gilman & Watson, E. F. &. D. G. (2006, 12). Diospyros texana: Texas persimmon. Retrieved from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st230
  3. Texas persimmon. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/st-plains/nature/images/persimmon.html
  4. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Retrieved June 29, 2025. 

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Diospyros texana