BULLETIN NO. 10. 
The Persimmon of the eastern United States, Diospyros virginiana, is 
rarely cultivated. This, however, is a perfectly hardy, fast-growing and 
shapely tree. The leaves are thick and leathery, dark green and shining 
above and pale below. The male and female flowers are produced on dif- 
ferent individuals and are not conspicuous. They open when the leaves 
are nearly fully grown and are pale yellow, those of the female tree 
being about three-quarters of an inch long and nearly three times as long 
as those of the male tree. The fruit, which ripens late in the autumn 
and does not become sweet and succulent until after it has been touched 
by the frost, remains on the branches during the winter; it is globose or 
oblong, about two inches in diameter, pale orange color often with a 
bright red cheek and is covered with pale bloom. Occasionally plants 
with exceptionally large or well-flavored fruits have been propagated by 
nurserymen, but there is still opportunity to improve this fruit, which is 
one of the best produced by any North American tree. In New England 
the Persimmon grows naturally only in a few stations in southern Con- 
necticut, but in the middle and southern states it is very common, often 
covering by means of its suckers barren fields, and springing up by the 
sides of roads and fences. As an ornamental tree and for the value of its 
fruit it should be more often planted. A group of this tree can be seen 
on the right-hand side of the Bussey Hill Road just beyond the Cornel 
Group. The tree nearest the road is a male and is now covered with 
flowers; the largest tree in the group is a female on which the young 
fruits are just beginning to form. 
This is a good time to study the Grapevines on the trellis along the 
eastern side of the Shrub Collection as the leaves are now fully grown 
and the fruit is formed on some of the species, while on others the flower- 
buds have not opened. 
Many of the early travelers in the northeastern part of North America 
spoke of the abundance and beauty of the Wild Grapevines and were en- 
thusiastic over the wine that was to be made from the great store of 
grapes which they found hanging over lakes and streams and along the 
borders of the forest. These high hopes have not been realized and the 
fruit of the American Grapevines, with some notable exceptions, unless 
improved by the blood of the Old World vrine grapes, is of little value. 
American Grapevines, however, have played a great part in restoring the 
vineyards of Europe ruined by the Phylloxera and among them are some 
of the most splendid ornamental vines of all temperate regions. No 
other vines are better suited to cover trellises and arbors, to climb high 
into old trees, to hang gracefully over walls and fences, to spread over 
rocks and to clothe barren slopes. The value of Grapevines for covering 
walls can be seen near the Jamaica Plain entrance, on the wall between 
the Jamaica Plain and the Forest Hill entrances, and on the Center Street 
wall, and their value for covering the ground can be seen at the corner 
of the Meadow and Hemlock Hill Roads opposite the Rhododendrons 
where there is a bed of Grapevines which are cut back close to the ground 
every spring. All the North American species which are hardy are 
growing in the Shrub Collection. Among the little known species best 
worth cultivation are perhaps Vitis Doaniana and Vitis cinerea. The 
first is a native of the Texas Panhandle where it was discovered a 
few years ago. This is a fast-growing plant and appears to be perfectly 
at home in New England. The leaves are large, thick and firm, and 
rather pale bluish green in color. The fruit, which grows in small clus- 
ters, is blue covered with a pale bloom and of fair quality. Vitis cinerea 
