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Grafted Persimmon Varieties
American Persimmon is the jewel of eastern North American fruit trees. The Latin name Diospyrus means “fruit of the gods” and when you taste one you’ll understand. Persimmons are a nutrient-dense food and offer almost a complete nutritional profile. Persimmons are a richer source of carbohydrates, vitamin C, iron, potassium, and fiber than apples. They can be enjoyed fresh once they drop from the tree, or dried, pulped, baked, and fermented.
Grafted Persimmons are contained in 14” x 4” tree pots.
American Persimmon:
A-2 “Autumn 2” – this James Claypool variety is highly underrated.
Buhrman – an old persimmon variety from Pennsylvania, introduced through John Hershey’s catalogs. Makes a large, watery fruit of a yellowish color sometimes turning blue. Ripens late and can be astringent. For collectors.
Downingtown Center (aka Downingtown Middle) – one of the best persimmons from John Hershey's farm, and my favorite. Late Aug-October. This is an old cultivar, under a lost name — possibly Golden Gem.
Ruby – large-fruited, late season persimmon.
Josephine – an excellent, older persimmon variety from Bluffton, Missouri. This one drops all of its fruit within the span of two weeks in September. (Also known as “Fruit Dump.”)
Keener – high-quality American persimmon of uncertain provenance.
*McKenzie Corner – one of the best persimmons from John Hershey's farm. Sept-October. *RECENT GENETIC TESTING REVEALS synonymous with Early Golden.
McKenzie Middle – one of the best persimmons from John Hershey's farm. Large fruit. Ripens October-November. Seedling of Early Golden.
NC-10 – excellent selection from R. Douglas Campbell of Ontario. I am not sure where he found the original tree. Fruit is large, egg-shaped, and dense with an incredible flavor. One of the best tasting American persimmons I’ve had.
Early Golden – the classic American persimmon selection from Indiana circa 1890.
C120 “Claypool” – namesake fruit of breeder James Claypool, of Elmo, Illinois.
D-128 “Dollywood” – Popular James Claypool selection.
H-118 “Early Jewel” – Very early, large fruited selection from the breeding work of James Claypool. Very productive tree.
H-120 – in my opinion, one of the very best flavored American persimmons. Large fruit and productive. A James Claypool selection.
H-63a – One of the most popular James Claypool selections. Large fruit with excellent flavor.
H-94a – James Claypool selection
J-53a – James Claypool selection
K-44 – James Claypool selection
K-44a – James Claypool selection
L-104 “Lena” – a large American persimmon variety bred by James Claypool. While all American persimmon are astringent before they are ripe, this one is said to be especially non-astringent.
Lambert – an old selection of American persimmon. Large, egg-shaped fruits ripen late. From Hiawatha, Kansas, and introduced in John Hershey’s catalogs.
DEC Money Maker – from the breeding work of Donald E. Compton (DEC) in southern Indiana. Excellent fruit.
John Rick - named for Reading, Pennsylvania nut and fruit grower John Rick.
Prok – seedling grown out by George Slate from seeds he received from Ralph Kreider, from a tree he called Pipher. Prok is said to stand for “Persimmon Ralph Kreider.” Makes a large, early, and productive fruit which has become one of the most popular American persimmon cultivars.
WS8-10 “Barbara’s Blush” – this Jerry Lehman selection is one of his most popular for flavor, size, and productivity.
Yates / Juhl – sometimes you’ll see trees introduced as one or the other, but Yates and Juhl are synonymous. This selection came from Talbot Nursery in the 1950s and according to genetic analysis is descended from Early Golden.
Etter #1-9 – these experimental selections are from an old nursery row at Fayette Etter's farm. Each tree is unique with fruit of different qualities, and each stands with merit on its own. None of these trees appear to have been grafted, and some trees have multiple trunks as if they could be rootstock resprouts.
SFES – a 60-chromosome selection from Hopkinsville, Kentucky by Lucky Pittman. Delicious, red fruits on a very productive tree.
Kitch – a 60-chromosome variety from Lancaster, Pennsylvania introduced by John Hershey and named after his wife's relative. Small, teardrop shaped fruits cling to the tree into the winter where they become like dates.
Hybrid Persimmon:
Journey – Hybrid American and Asian persimmon, that’s only 12.5% D. kaki, so mostly takes after the American Persimmon. Bred and introduced by Clifford England.
Rosseyanka – developed by A. K. Pasenkov at the Nikitsky Botanical Garden in Crimea, 1958. This 50:50 hybrid between American and Asian persimmon is named in the Russian language, “Russian Beauty.” It is hardy to USDA zone 5 and is very cold tolerant down to -18F, according to Cliff England.
Nikitskaya Bordovaya AKA Nikita’s Gift – this hybrid was produced at the Nikita Botanical Garden in Yalta, by Oleksandr Kazas 1975, and is a seedling of Rosseyanka crossed back to a Diospyros kaki, so it is approximately 75% Asian persimmon and 25% American. Hardy to -10F.
JT-02 Mikkusa – this is a 50:50 cross between the American persimmon variety Josephine, and the Asian variety Taishu, bred in Japan. Considered hardy to -22F.
NB-02 Zhima Khurma – Nikita’s Gift x Taishu, so approximately 87.5% Asian and 12.5% American. Hardy to at least -16F according to Cliff England.
Kasandra – Rossey 2 backcrossed to “Great Wall” Asian persimmon, so approximately 75% D. kak and 25% D. vir. Considered by many their favorite-flavored persimmon. Hardy to -16F without damage.
Sosnovskaya – meaning something like “daughter of the pine place” in Russian, this is another 50:50 hybrid of American and Asian persimmon produced at the Nikitsky Botanical Garden in the 1950s from the breeder V. N. Derevyanko. Fruits known for their high quality.
Chuchupaka – very early fruiting variety named for Ukrainian war hero Vasyl Chuchupak. It is a 3rd generation Asian by American persimmon hybrid.
Uzbekistani – hybrid persimmon I got from Cliff England, presumably from the Ukrainian breeding program.
14-10 UKR – another new Ukrainian hybrid persimmon.
Asian Persimmon (Diospyros kaki):
Fuyu Giant – classic “fuyu” type Asian persimmon: that is, flattened, orange, somewhat pumpkin-shaped fruit, which is non-astringent and thus can be picked hard off the tree and left to ripen, or eaten immediately.
Giboshi – older Asian persimmon variety grown by J. Russell Smith and Fayette Etter. Acorn shaped and said to be similar in quality to Saijo.
Kuro Kuma – a PVNA Asian persimmon variety I have yet to find an evaluation for.
Saijo – a “hachiya” type Asian persimmon: that is, acorn-shaped, smooth, and as an astringent variety, it needs to be picked and eaten only after it is fully soft.
Zirochka – a fuyu-type persimmon coming out of Ukraine, and meaning “little star.” This is a full D. kaki Asian persimmon with a flattened, pumpkin-shaped fruit and some good cold hardiness.
American Persimmon is the jewel of eastern North American fruit trees. The Latin name Diospyrus means “fruit of the gods” and when you taste one you’ll understand. Persimmons are a nutrient-dense food and offer almost a complete nutritional profile. Persimmons are a richer source of carbohydrates, vitamin C, iron, potassium, and fiber than apples. They can be enjoyed fresh once they drop from the tree, or dried, pulped, baked, and fermented.
Grafted Persimmons are contained in 14” x 4” tree pots.
American Persimmon:
A-2 “Autumn 2” – this James Claypool variety is highly underrated.
Buhrman – an old persimmon variety from Pennsylvania, introduced through John Hershey’s catalogs. Makes a large, watery fruit of a yellowish color sometimes turning blue. Ripens late and can be astringent. For collectors.
Downingtown Center (aka Downingtown Middle) – one of the best persimmons from John Hershey's farm, and my favorite. Late Aug-October. This is an old cultivar, under a lost name — possibly Golden Gem.
Ruby – large-fruited, late season persimmon.
Josephine – an excellent, older persimmon variety from Bluffton, Missouri. This one drops all of its fruit within the span of two weeks in September. (Also known as “Fruit Dump.”)
Keener – high-quality American persimmon of uncertain provenance.
*McKenzie Corner – one of the best persimmons from John Hershey's farm. Sept-October. *RECENT GENETIC TESTING REVEALS synonymous with Early Golden.
McKenzie Middle – one of the best persimmons from John Hershey's farm. Large fruit. Ripens October-November. Seedling of Early Golden.
NC-10 – excellent selection from R. Douglas Campbell of Ontario. I am not sure where he found the original tree. Fruit is large, egg-shaped, and dense with an incredible flavor. One of the best tasting American persimmons I’ve had.
Early Golden – the classic American persimmon selection from Indiana circa 1890.
C120 “Claypool” – namesake fruit of breeder James Claypool, of Elmo, Illinois.
D-128 “Dollywood” – Popular James Claypool selection.
H-118 “Early Jewel” – Very early, large fruited selection from the breeding work of James Claypool. Very productive tree.
H-120 – in my opinion, one of the very best flavored American persimmons. Large fruit and productive. A James Claypool selection.
H-63a – One of the most popular James Claypool selections. Large fruit with excellent flavor.
H-94a – James Claypool selection
J-53a – James Claypool selection
K-44 – James Claypool selection
K-44a – James Claypool selection
L-104 “Lena” – a large American persimmon variety bred by James Claypool. While all American persimmon are astringent before they are ripe, this one is said to be especially non-astringent.
Lambert – an old selection of American persimmon. Large, egg-shaped fruits ripen late. From Hiawatha, Kansas, and introduced in John Hershey’s catalogs.
DEC Money Maker – from the breeding work of Donald E. Compton (DEC) in southern Indiana. Excellent fruit.
John Rick - named for Reading, Pennsylvania nut and fruit grower John Rick.
Prok – seedling grown out by George Slate from seeds he received from Ralph Kreider, from a tree he called Pipher. Prok is said to stand for “Persimmon Ralph Kreider.” Makes a large, early, and productive fruit which has become one of the most popular American persimmon cultivars.
WS8-10 “Barbara’s Blush” – this Jerry Lehman selection is one of his most popular for flavor, size, and productivity.
Yates / Juhl – sometimes you’ll see trees introduced as one or the other, but Yates and Juhl are synonymous. This selection came from Talbot Nursery in the 1950s and according to genetic analysis is descended from Early Golden.
Etter #1-9 – these experimental selections are from an old nursery row at Fayette Etter's farm. Each tree is unique with fruit of different qualities, and each stands with merit on its own. None of these trees appear to have been grafted, and some trees have multiple trunks as if they could be rootstock resprouts.
SFES – a 60-chromosome selection from Hopkinsville, Kentucky by Lucky Pittman. Delicious, red fruits on a very productive tree.
Kitch – a 60-chromosome variety from Lancaster, Pennsylvania introduced by John Hershey and named after his wife's relative. Small, teardrop shaped fruits cling to the tree into the winter where they become like dates.
Hybrid Persimmon:
Journey – Hybrid American and Asian persimmon, that’s only 12.5% D. kaki, so mostly takes after the American Persimmon. Bred and introduced by Clifford England.
Rosseyanka – developed by A. K. Pasenkov at the Nikitsky Botanical Garden in Crimea, 1958. This 50:50 hybrid between American and Asian persimmon is named in the Russian language, “Russian Beauty.” It is hardy to USDA zone 5 and is very cold tolerant down to -18F, according to Cliff England.
Nikitskaya Bordovaya AKA Nikita’s Gift – this hybrid was produced at the Nikita Botanical Garden in Yalta, by Oleksandr Kazas 1975, and is a seedling of Rosseyanka crossed back to a Diospyros kaki, so it is approximately 75% Asian persimmon and 25% American. Hardy to -10F.
JT-02 Mikkusa – this is a 50:50 cross between the American persimmon variety Josephine, and the Asian variety Taishu, bred in Japan. Considered hardy to -22F.
NB-02 Zhima Khurma – Nikita’s Gift x Taishu, so approximately 87.5% Asian and 12.5% American. Hardy to at least -16F according to Cliff England.
Kasandra – Rossey 2 backcrossed to “Great Wall” Asian persimmon, so approximately 75% D. kak and 25% D. vir. Considered by many their favorite-flavored persimmon. Hardy to -16F without damage.
Sosnovskaya – meaning something like “daughter of the pine place” in Russian, this is another 50:50 hybrid of American and Asian persimmon produced at the Nikitsky Botanical Garden in the 1950s from the breeder V. N. Derevyanko. Fruits known for their high quality.
Chuchupaka – very early fruiting variety named for Ukrainian war hero Vasyl Chuchupak. It is a 3rd generation Asian by American persimmon hybrid.
Uzbekistani – hybrid persimmon I got from Cliff England, presumably from the Ukrainian breeding program.
14-10 UKR – another new Ukrainian hybrid persimmon.
Asian Persimmon (Diospyros kaki):
Fuyu Giant – classic “fuyu” type Asian persimmon: that is, flattened, orange, somewhat pumpkin-shaped fruit, which is non-astringent and thus can be picked hard off the tree and left to ripen, or eaten immediately.
Giboshi – older Asian persimmon variety grown by J. Russell Smith and Fayette Etter. Acorn shaped and said to be similar in quality to Saijo.
Kuro Kuma – a PVNA Asian persimmon variety I have yet to find an evaluation for.
Saijo – a “hachiya” type Asian persimmon: that is, acorn-shaped, smooth, and as an astringent variety, it needs to be picked and eaten only after it is fully soft.
Zirochka – a fuyu-type persimmon coming out of Ukraine, and meaning “little star.” This is a full D. kaki Asian persimmon with a flattened, pumpkin-shaped fruit and some good cold hardiness.