Diospyros kaki - Japanese Persimmon, Kaki

‘Diospyros’ literally means ‘ambrosia’. Wearing such a name, it is no surprise that Kaki- fruits, so-called Persimmon, taste heavenly. When mature, the orange pulp of fruit is soft and juicy like jelly and melts in the mouth like pudding. Their taste is full-bodied and sweet- fruity. Note: when you buy a ‘Sharon’- fruit in a shop, this, too, is a Kaki- but an israeli variety. Its hard pulp of fruit with only little juice is not quite as good a quality as italian varieties, which are even nearly twice as large (5 - 8 cm). However, because of there sensitivity against squeezing they are not sold north of the Alps. Lucky, if you can harvest your own fruits. Grafted, genuine kaki trees already bear fruits 2 to 3 years after grafting. The 2-2.5cm large yellow flowers appear in early sommer. They are able to produce fruits even without pollination (parthenocarp). Those fruits are seedles. If the flowers are pollinated, the fruits have seeds and are a little bit larger. It is important to leave the fruits of varieties ‘Tipo’ and ‘Vainiglia’ to mature - the peel softens slightly when pushed with a finger.Unripe Kaki fruits are astringend, making your mouth go numb. This is not, if you make jam from the fruits. The variety ‘Jiro’ is not astringend, but it should be given time to ripen at the plant to develop full aroma. Kaki trees are hardy plants up to a temperature of -15 °C and therfore suitable for either being permanently planted in a pot, in a winter garden or even in the garden. In a sunny or half- shady place kaki will produce a round, dense treetop, with leaves changing their colour intensly yellow, orange and red in autumn. When the leaves have dropped down, it is easy to get the plants through winter because they will then not need much light or warmth.

‘Tipo’: Very common and popular species in Italy; dense and compact treetop and reliably producing fruits
‘Vainiglia’: produces larger fruits but also a larger treetop. The fragrance is mild and slightly reminds of vanilla.
‘Cioccolatino’: the fruits are very sweet and edible before totally ripe and soft. You can eat them hardy like an apple.
‘Jiro’: smaller treetop with large fruits that are not astringend at any time; in mediterranean growing areas it ripens a little bit earlier October than in Germany.
‘Fuyu’ / ‘Hanafuyu’: Main species in Florida and Japan, very fruitful but requires more warmth than other species. The fruits are not astringend at any time, middle-sized and seedless.

Quality: large & tasty fruits that you cannot buy in this country. Even young plants reliably bear fruits due to grafting. round treetop, robust & hardy; easy to winter.
Use: planted in the garden; in pots starting from April/ May outside on balcony, terrace or winter garden - during winter in the house; all year round planted in a greenhouse