Persimmon

Persimmon: Iranian persimmon fruits are nearly round, shiny, and tough-skinned. They are about 2.5 CM in diameter, and the color when ripe ranges from a pale orange to a slight red color. They ripen from Oct to Nov, usually after the tree has lost its leaves.

Which City or Province Grow: Tehran.

Harvest Season: Fall.

The green fruit in this picture is immature. Notice the clove-like structure at the top of the fruit. This can help distinguish persimmons from apricots or yellow tomatoes.

The oriental persimmon is the persimmon most often found in the grocery store. It is larger than the Iranian persimmon (about 5CM in diameter) and can vary in shape from round and flat to oblong and cone-shaped.

Persimmon Tree: The Iranian persimmon tree (shown here) grows to 3.5 to 6 meter tall and 2 to 3.5 meter wide. The oriental persimmon tree is not hardy in zone 5 and is a smaller stature tree.

Persimmon Leaves: The leaves of the Iranian persimmon tree are alternate, simple, and a rich green color. The leaf margins can be entire (no teeth present) or somewhat serrated.