Plant · P-1047

Texas Persimmon

Diospyros texana

Texas persimmon grows slowly into a small tree with smooth pale bark that peels in curls, leathery dark green leaves, and dense, heavy wood. Trees are either male or female, so only a female growing near a male will set the black, cherry-sized fruit that ripens through late summer and fall - eaten fresh once fully soft, and used as a dye that stains heavily. The tree tolerates drought and thrives on rocky, alkaline soil across the hill country and brushlands of Texas and northern Mexico, feeding birds, coyotes, raccoons and javelina along the way.