Texas persimmon

Diospyros texana

Small black persimmons, sweet when soft; a drought-proof little tree with peeling bark.

Type: small tree · native and wild plants
Hardiness: zones 7 to 10
Light: full sun
Size: about 20 ft tall, 15 ft wide
Harvest: July to August
From: Texas and NE Mexico
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.

Good for: food, wildlife.

Native to: Great Plains & Texas, Desert Southwest. Hardy in zones 7 to 10.

The story

Texas persimmon fed the Comanche, Lipan Apache and Coahuiltecan of the Rio Grande and Edwards Plateau, who ate the small black fruit fresh and dried it; the fruit also dyed hides and the dense wood made tools. It survives on limestone and drought.

Planting

Full sun, dry rocky or limestone soil, heat; plant a female with a male nearby. A slow small tree to 20 feet with peeling pale bark.

Growing

Water the first two summers, then never. No pruning needed. Very long-lived.

Harvest and use

Fruit ripens black and soft in late summer; sweet, like a prune, with a few seeds. Eat fresh, dry, or cook. The juice stains everything.

What to watch for

Nothing serious; stains.

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More native and wild plants

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