Persimmon

Like the tomato, persimmons are not commonly considered to be berries, but morphologically the fruit is in fact a berry. The tree Diospyros kaki is the most widely cultivated species of persimmon. Typically the tree reaches 4.5 to 18 metres (15 to 60 ft) in height and is round-topped.^[1] It usually stands erect, but sometimes can be crooked or have a willowy appearance.^[1] The leaves are 7–15 cm (3–6 in) long, and are oblong in shape with brown-hairy petioles 2 centimetres (3⁄4 in) in length.^[1] They are leathery and glossy on the upper surface, brown and silky underneath.^[1] The leaves are deciduous and bluish-green in color. In Autumn, they turn to yellow, orange, or red.^[1]

Persimmon trees are typically dioecious,^[5] meaning male and female flowers are produced on separate trees.^[1] Some trees have both male and female flowers and in rare cases may bear a perfect flower, which contains both male and female reproductive organs in one flower.^[5] Male flowers are pink^[5] and appear in groups of 3.^[1] They have a 4-parted calyx, a corolla, and 24 stamens in 2 rows.^[1] Female flowers are creamy-white^[5] and appear singly.^[1] They have a large calyx, a 4-parted, yellow corolla, 8 undeveloped stamens, and a rounded ovary bearing the style and stigma.^[1] ‘Perfect’ flowers are a cross between the two.^[1][5]