Diospyros virginiana

Diospyros virginiana COMMON PERSIMMON, POSSUMWOOD

Higher Taxonomy

Family: Ebenaceae

Common Name: EBONY FAMILY
Habit: Tree [shrub], generally dioecious. Leaf: alternate, simple, petioled, entire; stipules 0. Inflorescence: axillary cyme or flower 1. Flower: generally unisexual, radial; sepals [3]4[5--8], base +- fused; petals [3]4[5--8], fused; stamens in staminate flowers generally 3--4 × as many as petals, reduced to staminodes in pistillate flowers; ovary superior [inferior], vestigial or 0 in staminate flowers, chambers generally 8, ovules 1--2 per chamber, styles generally 4. Fruit: berry [capsule]; seeds 0--2 per chamber.
Genera In Family: 2--6 genera, 400--500: warm temperate, tropics.
eFlora Treatment Author: David J. Keil

Genus: Diospyros

View Description

Common Name: PERSIMMON, EBONY
Leaf: deciduous [evergreen], lanceolate to elliptic or ovate. Inflorescence: staminate flowers in cymes; pistillate flowers solitary. Flower: sepals persistent; corolla urn-shaped, salverform, or bell-shaped. Staminate Flower: stamens [6--]16[--32]. Pistillate Flower: staminodes generally 8; ovary superior, chambers generally 8, styles generally 4.
Etymology: [Greek: divine grain, ancient Greek name for some kind of fruit]

Diospyros virginiana L.

NATURALIZED
Habit: Plant 15--30+ m, spreading by root sprouts. Stem: bark dark reddish brown, deeply furrowed. Leaf: petiole 7--10 mm; blade 6--15 cm, widely ovate to elliptic, acute to acuminate, abaxially sparsely hairy or glabrous. Inflorescence: staminate flowers 2--3. Flower: 1--2 cm; sepals widely ovate, enlarged in fruit; corolla urn-shaped, white to cream, lobes 4; styles proximally fused. Fruit: 3--5 cm diameter, +- spheric to ovoid, yellow to orange or red. Seed: +- 15 mm, ellipsoid, reddish brown to dark brown. Chromosomes: 2n=60,90.
Ecology: Near watercourses, probably spreading from abandoned plantings. Bioregional Distribution: SNF, SnBr, PR; Distribution Outside California: native to central and eastern United States. Flowering Time: Mar--Jun Note: Occasionally cultivated for edible fruits; bisexual-flowered forms developed by tree breeders; flesh of immature fruits very astringent.
Jepson eFlora Author: David J. Keil
Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)

Previous taxon: Diospyros
Next taxon: Ehretiaceae

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Citation for this treatment: David J. Keil 2012, Diospyros virginiana, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=23042, accessed on April 23, 2024.

Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024, Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/, accessed on April 23, 2024.

No expert verified images found for Diospyros virginiana.

Geographic subdivisions for Diospyros virginiana: SNF, SnBr, PR	MAP CONTROLS 1. You can change the display of the base map layer control box in the upper right-hand corner. 2. County and Jepson Region polygons can be turned off and on using the check boxes.

(Note: any qualifiers in the taxon distribution description, such as 'northern', 'southern', 'adjacent' etc., are not reflected in the map above, and in some cases indication of a taxon in a subdivision is based on a single collection or author-verified occurence).	Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria. MAP LEGEND View all CCH records All markers link to CCH specimen records. The original determination is shown in the popup window. Blue markers indicate specimens that map to one of the expected Jepson geographic subdivisions (see left map). Purple markers indicate specimens collected from a garden, greenhouse, or other non-wild location. Yellow markers indicate records that may provide evidence for eFlora range revision or may have georeferencing or identification issues. READ ABOUT YELLOW FLAGS CCH collections by month Duplicates counted once; synonyms included. Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa, if there are more than 1 infraspecific taxon in CA. Blue line denotes eFlora flowering time (fruiting time in some monocot genera).