Diospyros
DIOSPYROS KAKI COSTATA.--The Date Plum. China, 1789. Fruit as big as a
small apple; leaves leathery, entire, and broadly ovate; flowers and
fruits in this country when afforded the protection of a wall. The
fruit is superior to that of D. virginiana (Persimmon).
D. LOTUS, the common Date Plum, is a European species, with purplish
flowers, and oblong leaves that are reddish on the under sides. Both
species want a light, warm soil, and sheltered situation.
D. VIRGINIANA.--The Persimmon, or Virginian Date Plum. North America,
1629. A small-growing tree, with coriaceous leaves, and greenish-yellow
flowers. In southern situations and by the seaside it is perfectly
hardy, and succeeds well, but in other districts it is rather tender.
The fruit is edible, yellow in colour, and about an inch in diameter.