Asian persimmon
Diospyros kaki
Orange lanterns on bare branches after the leaves drop.
Hardiness: zones 7 to 10
Light: full sun
Size: about 20 ft tall, 15 ft wide
Harvest: October to November
From: China and Japan
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.
Good for: food.
Native to: East Asia. Hardy in zones 7 to 10.
The story
The Asian persimmon has been cultivated in China for more than 2,000 years and in Japan became the autumn fruit, dried into hoshigaki by hanging peeled fruit in the cold wind. It reached California with Japanese growers in the 1870s, and 'Fuyu' and 'Hachiya' are still the two to know.
Planting
Full sun, deep soil, and patience: the taproot resents disturbance, so plant young from a pot and do not move it. Most are self-fruitful.
Growing
Water deeply through summer and avoid heavy nitrogen, which makes the fruit drop. Prune only to shape; it bears on new wood from one-year shoots.
Harvest and use
'Fuyu' is eaten crisp like an apple when orange; 'Hachiya' must be soft as jelly or it will pucker your mouth. Harvest in late autumn after the leaves fall.
What to watch for
Fruit drop on young trees is normal; birds and raccoons at ripening; little disease.
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General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home