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. More information on Diospyros kaki .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
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
6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
2 - Understory
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Spreading
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Obovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The leaves are glossy green and 4-5 inches long which turn yellow, orange or red in fall.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow; Orange; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Cream/Tan; Pink
Flower value
Fragrant
Flower form
Insignificant
Flower shape
Bell
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
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.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Gold/Yellow; Orange
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit value
Edible; Long-lasting; Showy
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, > 3 inches wide
Fruit detail
Produces medium to large-sized, yellow to orange fruit. Round in shape, non-astringent and seedless with very good quality. It is very productive.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Light Gray
Bark detail
Brownish gray bark
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
Dark rich brown with large lenticels.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
Birds are attracted to the fruit.
Attracts
Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit
Harvest time
Fall; Winter
Fruit type
Berry
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.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Leaves are used to make teas
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Lawn; Naturalized Area
Landscape theme
Asian Garden; Cottage Garden; Edible Garden; Winter Garden
Design feature
Flowering Tree; Mass Planting; Screen/Privacy; Specimen
Garden tags
#deciduous #yellow fruits #specimen #sweet fruit #disease resistant #fruit tree #edible fruits #edible tree #fall interest #winter interest #fragrant flowers #orange fruits #fall color red #fall color orange #fall color yellow #full sun tolerant #humidity tolerant #heat tolerant #drought tolerant #food source winter #wildlife friendly