PERSIMMONS. 15 



THE WILD PERSIMMON. 



[Chixese name, "Ghae tsao," meaning black date.] 



The wild persimmon (Diospyros lotus), upon which the natives of 

 northern China bud and graft all their cultivated varieties, grows 

 wild here and there in the mountains of northern China (fig. 5). In 

 its native haunts it seems to love protected rocky situations in ravines 

 along small mountain streams. The trees do not grow large; some- 

 times they are more in the nature of a big shrub. YThen given space 

 and good soil, however, they develop into good-sized trees with 



Fig. 5. — The wild persimmon tree (Diospyros lotus) in its native habitat in the mountains near Changli, 

 Chihli Province, China. This tree is ordinarily used as a stock for the large-fruited edible persimmon. 

 Introduction Xos. 17906 and 17907. 



dense heads of dark-green foliage. Old trees also have a very 

 dark-colored trunk which is deeply grooved and furrowed (fig. 6). 



It is a most productive bearer, being literally covered in the 

 autumn with small blackish fruits the size of large cherries. The 

 fruits are edible when soft or after a frost, but there is very little 

 flesh to them, as they contain from three to five rather large seeds. 

 Children are very fond of them, and a tree of this variety in a yard 

 will certainly be worth its space. 



In China, where everything is of value, this fruit is sold in large 

 quantities, especially in the neighborhood of Changli, Chihli Province, 



204 



