Diospyros, American Persimmon, Date Plum, Eastern Persimmon 'Meader'

I have a Meader persimmon that I planted, I think, 5 years ago. Last year was the first year I saw flowers, though only a few and no frui...Read Moret resulted. The flowers are interesting and pretty in a very low-key way. It is always VERY late to leaf out, weeks after everything else. The first couple of springs after I'd planted it, I thought it had died in the winter because of that. It has been slow growing, and something killed the leader early in its life, so that side branches have had to make up for that loss. Several commentators at the Home Orchard Society forums report that all persimmon trees are known to be brittle, losing branches to mild gusts, and that Meader is the most brittle of all the cultivars. I have not had any breakage problems myself, but neither have I had branches weighed down with fruit.

With some pruning, you could have a nice edible hedge. :) This persimmon is an early ripening variety. It is self-fertile and very col...Read Mored-hardy. Great in zones 4-8.