HABITAT. The Japanese Persimmon comes from the warm areas of China, from where it was introduced firstly in Korea and Japan and then in Europe (Spain, Italy, Greece and France), North America (California), South America and Oceania. Japanese Persimmon can be considered a species for warm-temperate areas, even if among cultivars there exist many different behaviours in acclimatisation. It is moderately resistant to winter frost (-15°C), but sensitive to late spring chill and to strong winds mainly during summertime and autumn when the weight of fruits can brake shoots and fruits can be injured by rubbing. The best soils to grow Japanese Persimmon are those of medium texture, deep and fresh, but this species can grow also on clayey soils. Sub-acid and sub-alkaline soils and active limestone soils are good for Japanese Persimmon, while salty soils and those rich in boron should be avoided.

CULTIVARS. The main peculiar traits of Japanese Persimmon are linked to flowering (presence and distribution of male, female and hermaphrodite flowers on the tree), to fruit-set (pollination or parthenocarpy) and to the astringency of fruits at harvest time in relation to pollination.

Most of cultivars differentiate only female flowers, but there exits also monoic cultivars (with female and male flowers) and pollinators (cultivars with a large amount of male flowers).

Regarding fruit-set, most of cultivars shows a strong capability to produce seedless fruits, trough parthenocarpy, while other bring a good amount of fruits only if pollination occurs.

In relation to astringency, the pomological classifications of Japanese Persimmon distinguish between astringent and not astringent cultivars. Astringent cultivars are those containing soluble tannins and they can be eaten only after physiological ripening, when fruits are soft. The non astringent cultivars can be eaten soon after harvesting, since their tannins are insoluble and the content is low. Each group has been divided into two sub-groups in relation to the effect of pollination on tannin content: pollination constant and pollination variant cultivars. The Pollination Constant cultivars do not show any change in the flesh colour if pollinated, while the fruits of Pollination Variant cultivars bring a pale flesh colour if the fruit is not pollinated (seedless fruits) and an orange brown flesh if the fruit was pollinated. When pollination is not enough (one or two seeds) the flesh changes its colour only around the seeds, while the other parts of the flesh remain pale. Hence cultivars can be divided into:

Pollination Constant Non Astringent (PCNA): fruits are edible (not astringent) at harvest time and flesh is pale regardless the presence of seeds. Some PCNA cultivars are "Fuyu", "Jiro", "Hana Fuyu", "O’Gosho".

Pollination Constant Astringent (PCA): fruits are always astringent, regardless the presence of seeds. The flesh is pale and fruits are edible only after softening or after artificial astringency removal. Some PCA cultivars are "Hachiya", "Atago", "Yokono".

Pollination Variant Non Astringent (PVNA): at harvest time flesh is not astringent only if fruit bring seeds. In that case the flesh is brown. Seedless (parthenocarpic) fruits can be eaten only after softening or after astringency removal. Some PVNA cultivars are "Kaki Tipo", "Amankaki", "Mikatani Gosho".

Pollination Variant Astringent (PVA): fruits are always astringent at harvest time, and flesh change the colour into brown only around the seeds. Even if the number of seeds is high, flesh is never completely edible at harvest time. Fruits can be eaten after softening or after astringency removal. Some PVA cultivars are "Aizumishirazu", "Hiratanenashi", "Tone Wase".

TREE. The tree grows up slowly and it is very long-lived, reaching sometime more than 10 meters from the soil. The trunk is upright and the bark is dark grey, with many irregular cracks. The branches are generally upright, winding and often fragile. One year shoots are brown or grey, with many pale lentils, and they are upright or winding. Flowers and then fruits are brought by twigs. The root is pivot and very deep.

LEAVES. Japanese Persimmon is deciduous and leaves are elliptical or obovate, bright green. The edge is winding and the margin is entire. The turn into yellow, orange or red during fall depending on the cultivar.

FLOWERS. Japanese Persimmon has a complex sex expression, since trees can bring separately or together female (pistillate) flowers, male (staminate) flowers and complete (hermaphrodite) flowers. Female flowers are solitary, larger then male flowers, with yellow-whitish small petals. Male flowers are brought in clusters formed by three small flowers. Very often the central flower of the cluster is hermaphrodite, while the others are male. Fruits derived from hermaphrodite flowers are very small and they have no commercial value. Pollination is carried on by insects.

FRUITS. The fruit is a big berry (the mean weight is about 160 grams) with a shape from flat to elongated in longitude and from round to squared in cross-section. The skin colour at harvest is yellow or orange-yellow in most of cultivars. The 8 ovary lodges ,which can bring from none to one seed each one, can be seen in cross-section. The flesh colour varies from orange-yellow, and sometimes reddish (in seedless fruits of Pollination Variant cultivars, and in both pollinated or parthenocarpic fruits of Pollination Constant cultivars), to reddish brown or bronze in the pollinated fruits of Pollination Variant Not Astringent cultivars.

USE. The fruits of Japanese Persimmon are eaten for dessert. Sometimes they can be dried or used for juice production or marmalades. All fruits of Pollination Constant Not Astringent cultivars and only pollinated fruits of Pollination Variant Not Astringent cultivars can be eaten when fruit is hard. In all other cases fruits can be eaten over-ripened (soft) or after artificial removal of astringency. Unfortunately the ripening time of Japanese Persimmon is very narrow (end of October-November in Italy), and fruits are available from November to January. Japanese Persimmon is also used as ornamental tree for the brightness of the green foliage during summer and for the handsome aspect of the orange-red fruits on the naked tree in autumn.