DIOSPYROS 



DIOSPYROS 



1015 



with handsome lustrous foliage, rarely attacked by 

 insects and with decorative and edible fruit. The only 

 species which is tolerably hardy North is D. virginiana, 

 while D. Kaki, much cultivated in Japan for its large 

 edible fruits, is hardy only in the southern states. Most 

 species have valuable hard and close-grained wood, 



1272. Diospyros Lotus. ( X %) 



and that of some tropical species is known as ebony. 

 They thrive in almost any soil, but require, in cooler 

 climates, sheltered and sunny positions. Propagated by 

 seeds to be sown after maturity or stratified and sown 

 in spring, and by cuttings of half-ripened wood or by 

 layers; the tropical species by cuttings of mature wood 

 in spring, with bottom heat; the fruit-bearing varie- 

 ties are usually grafted or budded on seedling stock of 

 D. virginiana. See Persimmon. 



A. Lvs. acuminate. 



B. Fr. }/%-! % in. across, not ribbed: branches usuatty 

 glabrous. 



virginiana, Linn. COMMON PERSIMMON. Fig. 1271. 

 Tree, to 50 ft., rarely to 100 ft., with round-topped head 

 and spreading, often pendulous branches: Ivs. ovate or 

 elliptic, acuminate, shining above, glabrous at length or 

 pubescent beneath, 3-6 in. long: fls. short-stalked, 

 greenish yellow, staminate in 3's, J^in. long, with 16 

 stamens; pistillate solitary, larger, with 4 

 2-lobed styles, connate at the base: fr. 

 globose or obovate, plum-like, with the 

 enlarged calyx at the base, 1-1^ in. diam., 

 pale orange, often with red cheek, edible, 

 varying in size, color and flavor. June. 

 Conn, to Fla., west to Kans. and Texas. 

 S.S. 6:252, 253. G.F. 8:265. Mn. 4:21. 

 Gn. 57, p. 146. A.G. 11:651. V. 4.20. 

 G.W. 16:230. 



L6tus, Linn. Fig. 1272. Round-headed 

 tree, to 40 ft. : Ivs. elliptic or oblong, acumi- 

 nate, pubescent, often glabrous above at 

 length, 3-5 in. long: fls. reddish white, 

 staminate in 3's, with 16 stamens, pistillate 

 solitary: fr. yellow at first, black when fully 

 ripe, globular, J^-Mui- diam., edible. June. 

 W. Asia to China. A.G. 12: 460. Gn.32,p. 

 68. S.I.F. 1:79. 



BB. Fr. 1 ^2~3 in. across, usually ribbed: branches 



with appressed brownish pubescence. 

 Kaki, Linn. f. (D. chinensis, Blume. D. Schitse, 

 Bunge. D.R6xburghii,C&rT.). Fig. 1273. Tree, to 



40 ft., with round head: Ivs. ovate-elliptic, oblong-ovate 

 or obovate, acuminate, subcoriaceous, glabrous and 

 shining above, more or less pubescent beneath, 3-7 

 in. long : fls. yellowish white, staminate with 16-24 

 stamens, pistillate to %in. long; styles divided to the 

 base, pubescent: fr. large, lJ^-3 in. across, very 

 variable in shape and size, mostly resembling a tomato, 

 orange or reddish. June. Japan, China. R.H. 1870, 

 pp. 412, 413; 1872, pp. 254, 255. B.M. 8127. G.C. III. 

 41:22. Gn. 27, pp. 168, 169; 49, p. 171. M.D.G. 1909: 

 409. Var. costata, Andr6. Fr. large, depressed, glob- 

 ular, orange-red, with 4 furrows. R.H. 1870:410, and p. 

 133. I.H. 18:78. G.C. II. 4:777; III. 9:171; 13:51. 

 Gn. 49, p. 171. Var. Mazelii, Mouillef. Fr. orange-yel- 

 low, with 8 furrows. R.H. 1874:70. Other varieties are 

 figured in R.H. 1872, p. 254; 1878:470; 1887:348: 

 1888:60. A.G. 12:331-8, 459-462 A very desirable 

 and beautiful fruit-bearing tree for the southern states, 

 where a number of different varieties intro. from Japan 

 are cult., but the hardier varieties from the north of 

 Japan and China, which are likely to be hardy north to 

 New England, seem hitherto not to have been intro. 

 Fig. 1273 is from Georgeson's articles in A. G. 1891. 

 The plant cult, in Eu. as D. chinensis, which is 

 apparently the same as D. Roxburghii, differs from the 

 Japanese forms of Kaki, which usually have ellip- 

 tic and glabrescent Ivs., in the narrower usually 

 oblong Ivs. densely pubescent beneath, less so above, 

 and in the greenish yellow subglobose fr. ; it is tenderer 

 than the common Kaki. It must not be confused with 

 D. sinensis, Hemsl., an entirely different species from 

 Cent. China, not in cult. 



AA. Lvs. obtuse or emarginate. 



texana, Scheele (D. mexicana, Scheele. Brayodendron 

 texdnum, Small). Small tree, intricately branched, 

 rarely to 40 ft.: Ivs. cuneate, oblong or obovate, 

 pubescent below, 1-2 in. long: fls. with the Ivs., pubes- 

 cent, on branches of the previous year; calyx and 

 corolla 5-lobed; staminate fls. with 16 stamens, pis- 

 tillate with 4 pubescent styles connate at the base: fr. 

 black, %-l in. diam. Spring. Texas, New Mex. S.S. 

 6:254. 



tessellaria, Poir. (D. reticuldta, Willd.). Tree or 

 shrub: Ivs. coriaceous, oval or oblong, rounded at both 

 ends, lustrous above, glabrous and reticulate below, 3-6 



in. long: fls. clustered, 

 sessile; calyx tubular, 

 4-lobed at the apex; 

 corolla 4-lobed; sta- 



1273. A cultivated fruit of 



Diospyros Kaki. 

 (Nearly natural size.) 



