The common persimmon (Diospyros virginiana L.): The history of an underutilized fruit tree (16th-19th centuries)

The fruit, bark and wood of the common persimmon (Diospyros virginiana L.) has a long history of use in the New World. The fi rst written description of the persimmon was by the “Gentleman of Elvas” in his account of the de Soto expedition (1539–1543). Early reports by the Spanish, French and English described the persimmon as a type of plum or medlar. Persimmons were employed by Native Americans, early European colonists and later Americans for both food and medicine. Persimmons were consumed fresh, dried like prunes, made into “bread,” and used to make pudding and pies. Unripe persimmons are very astringent and were avoided. Persimmons were also used to make alcoholic beverages such as beer and brandy. During the American Civil War, members of the Confederacy found many additional uses for the persimmon. The seeds were made into buttons and also roasted and ground to produce a coff ee substitute. Syrup was made from the ripe fruit, and green fruit was used to make ink. Persimmons have been used medicinally as an astringent and antiseptic and for the treatment of uterine hemorrhage, diarrhea and dysentery, diphtheria, dropsy, fevers, gonorrhea, hemorrhoids, syphilis, and thrush. Persimmon wood is hard and heavy and has been used to produce gunstocks, shoe lasts, planes, chisel handles, screws, mallets, wedges for splitting tree trunks, the shafts of carriages, the heads of golf clubs, engravings, cogs for saw mills and shuttle blocks for cotton looms. Dye could be made using the bark. Common persimmons never caught on as a horticultural crop and were eclipsed at the end of the 19th century by the recently introduced larger fruited Japanese persimmon or kaki (Diospyros kaki L.).