Identifying Characteristics
| Size/Form: | Common persimmon is a medium-sized tree that reaches heights of 40 to 60 feet and 1 to 2 feet in diameter. It has a spreading zigzag branching pattern that forms a broad round crown. It becomes a shrub at the north end of its range. Toward the limits of its range it is a shrub. |
| Leaves: | The leaves are simple, alternate, and deciduous. They grow 4 to 6 inches long by 2 to 3 inches wide. The oblong shaped leaves usually have shiny, leathery, dark green upper surfaces while the underneath surface resembles a stained-glass mosaic pattern of paler green. The leaf base is wedged or rounded and the leaf tip is acute. The leaf margin is entire and somewhat wavy. Leaf petioles are stout, about 1 inch in length. |
| Twigs: | The twigs are slender, glabrous or pubescent, and somewhat zig-zagging. The pith is homogeneous or diaphragmed. |
| Bark: | The dark gray to grayish-brown bark is thick with short furrows forming square block ridges that may resemble alligator skin. The inner bark turns yellow when exposed to air. |
| Flowers: | The common persimmon is a dioecious species. Flowers hang from the twig. |
| Fruit: | The fruit is a large, round, orange or purple berry that is ¾ to 2 ½ inches in diameter. It has smooth skin that wrinkles with ripening and is edible. The berries are several-seeded. |
Similar Trees on the Florida 4-H Forest Ecology Contest List:
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