No. 32. SIOSPYHOS. 153 



No. 



DIOSPYROS VIR&IJSIANA. 



ENGLISH Name— PERSIMON TREE. 



French Name — Plaqueminier. 



m 



German Name — Persimon Baum- 



Officinal Name — Diospyros. 



Vulgar Names— Persimons, Yellow Plums, Win- 

 ter Plums, Guaiacan, Seeded Plums, Pisbmin, &c. 



Authorities — Lin. Mich. Fl. and Sylva, Pursh, 

 Eaton, Torrey, Elliott, Schoepf, Kalm, Catesby, 

 Woodhouse, Coxe, Brickell, ZoIIickoffer, &c. 



Genus Diospyros — Diclinous, Calix 4 to 8 cleft. 

 Corolla rotate or urceolate 4 to 8 cleft. Staminate 

 flowers with 8 to 20 Stam. filaments free with one or 

 two anthers. Pistilate flowers with one Pistil, a 

 short style and 4 to 6 stigmas. Berry with 8 to 12 

 seeds. — Trees with alternate leaves. 



Species D. Virginiaka — Leaves ovate oblong, acu- 

 minate, entire, smooth, pale and reticulate beneath, 

 petiolate, petiols pubescent; Berries solitary globose. 



DESCRIPTION— The Persimon is a common 

 tree rising from 15 to 60 feet, with a smooth bark, 

 and spreading branches. The leaves are from three 

 to five inches long, shining above, whitish or pale 

 and reticulate beneath, oval or oblong, base acute, 

 end or tip acuminate, margin entire, on short alter- 

 nate and pubescent petioles. These leaves vary in 



