Date-plum is a small-fruited Old World cousin of the persimmon, named because its little fruits are said to taste like a mix of dates and plums. It doesn't grow wild in the US; here you're most likely to see it planted in a botanical garden or arboretum.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A deciduous tree commonly about 50 ft (15 m) tall, sometimes much taller in the wild. The bark flakes with age.
- Leaves
- Glossy, dark green, oval leaves 2–5 in (5–13 cm) long with pointed tips and a paler underside.
- Flowers
- Small, pitcher-shaped greenish flowers tinged red, about ¼ in (6 mm) long, in early summer. Male and female flowers grow on separate trees.
- Fruit
- Round berries ½–¾ in (1–2 cm) across, turning yellow and then purplish, with the large still attached. They are very until fully ripe; frost helps, and the fruit is often dried.
Look-alikes
American persimmonDiospyros virginiana
American persimmon fruits are larger, about ¾–2¼ in (2–6 cm), and usually orange-yellow. Date-plum fruits are only ½–¾ in and ripen to yellow or purplish-black.
Why they get mixed upBoth are persimmon trees with small, astringent fruits.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Mountain slopes
- Rocky ground
- Cultivated in gardens
- Range
- Found from southwest Asia and southeastern Europe east to China, Korea, and Japan. It is grown in cultivation in the US, North Africa, and Europe.
- Preferred conditions
- Tolerates poor and rocky soils but needs plenty of light. In the Caucasus it grows in low to middle mountain zones, and in Central Asia up to about 6,500 ft (2,000 m).
- Flowering
Flowers May–Jun
Flowers May–Jun
Growing it
- Care
- The Chicago Botanic Garden has grown it as a specimen tree in full sun, where it blooms in May and June. Trees give off a heavy smell, especially on damp autumn days.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- The genus name Diospyros comes from Greek words meaning "fruit of the gods." The English name "date-plum" is thought to come from a Persian name with the same meaning.
- In Pakistan the fruit is called amlok and is usually eaten dried.
More species to explore
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