Jiro Persimmon Diospyros kaki 'Jiro'
- Phonetic Spelling
- dy-oh-SPE-ros KAH-ky
- Description
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As with its parent plant, the 'Jiro' cultivar of the Oriental persimmon is beautiful, delicious and easy to grow, and offers year-round interest in the landscape. Oriental persimmons are native in Eastern Asia and India, they thrive in eastern North Carolina and the southern piedmont but do not tolerate temperatures below 10°F. 'Jiro' Persimmon is one of the most cold-hardy cultivars. The tree is a vigorous producer of fruit that is sweet, mild, and non-astringent.
It sets fruit without pollination but planting two cultivars is recommended to ensure a better fruit-set. The trees grow best in loamy, well-drained soils with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 in full sun but thrive on a wide range of soils. Oriental persimmons generally bloom mid-April so avoid damage from late frosts.
With spectacular autumn foliage and fruit that extends the harvest late into the fall, they are an excellent addition to an edible landscape. Fruit stays on the tree after the leaves have fallen looking like Christmas ornaments, giving an attractive addition to a winter garden. Harvest the fruit when the skin becomes deep orange. Fruit from this non-astringent variety can be eaten raw like an apple or sliced like a tomato and can be used in a variety of baked goods.
The Oriental persimmon can be placed in a lawn or naturalized area, an Asian, winter or edible garden. It can be trained as an espalier or pruned as a hedge or screen away from foot traffic or wet soil. They have no serious insect or disease problems and they do not require annual pruning like some other deciduous fruit trees. However, they do produce root suckers. Remove promptly unless a naturalized effect is wanted.
Quick ID Hints:
- Bark is deeply fissured or furrowed in shapes of rectangles or squares
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Scale, mealybug and leaf spot can occur. Fruit drop can be messy.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Diospyros
- Species:
- kaki
- Family:
- Ebenaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Leaves are used to make teas
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Wildlife Value:
- Birds are attracted to the fruit.
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Heat, sun, humidity and drought tolerant
- Edibility:
- Produces non-astringent fruit that is sweet, soft and tangy. Can be eaten when firm, like an apple, or when riper when it can be cut like a tomato.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Orange
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Winter
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- > 3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- Produces medium to large-sized, yellow to orange fruit. Round in shape, non-astringent and seedless with very good quality. It is very productive.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Pink
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Insignificant
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Shape:
- Bell
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Female flowers are slightly fragrant, borne singly with four whitish petals that are about half an inch long. Male flowers are pink-toned appearing in clusters of three. Sets fruit without the need for pollination.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Glossy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Orange
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Obovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The leaves are glossy green and 4-5 inches long which turn yellow, orange or red in fall.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Fissured
- Furrowed
- Bark Plate Shape:
- Rectangle
- Square
- Bark Description:
- Brownish gray bark
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Lenticels:
- Conspicuous
- Stem Description:
- Dark rich brown with large lenticels.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Naturalized Area
- Landscape Theme:
- Asian Garden
- Cottage Garden
- Edible Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Flowering Tree
- Mass Planting
- Screen/Privacy
- Specimen
- Attracts:
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Foot Traffic
- Wet Soil
- Problems:
- Messy