I started to notice some foul smell when I walk between my air conditioner unit located on a side of the house and my persimmon tree. First, I checked the air conditioner unit. I sniffed all the openings, hoses, everything I could reach - nothing. Then I investigated under the deck steps - in case something died there - nothing and no smell there. Finally, out of curiosity, I smelled my persimmon branch. And it has that smell. Lighter than in the air, but same. My husband says leaves do smell, but not foul, but he doesn’t feel the smell in the air as well… Am I crazy?
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Yes, persimmon leaves absolutely stink. Kind of like a dead rat. I was going to post about this earlier but forgot.
BTW Kiwis smell awful too.
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THANKS! Exactly, like dead rat! OK, at least I am not crazy!
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That’s funny! I’ve seen tea made from the dudes leaves for sure in Asian markets, and I’m going to try making my own one my trees grow up a bit. Hopefully the smell isn’t in the dried leaves!
I haven’t noticed the persimmon leaves smell yet but fig leaves smell like cat urine. Lol.
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Read about people making tea out of fig leaves. Tried it one time… never again.
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Maybe American persimmons don’t smell. My Jiro has the worst smell. But the other kakis have a bad odor too. Maybe I am sensitive to that smell
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WOW! I have been so curious to figure out where that rat died. There is a fence adjacent to a neighbor’s garage next to my Fuyu, and always assumed something had died and been rotting back there but inaccessible. I am sensitive to smells so it’s bugged me, and now mystery solved.
But how can I make it stop…? 
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Its fascinating to me how some people never even notice that smell. Maybe some of us have sensitive noses.
As I mentioned earlier, walking through an established kiwi vine when its not in bloom is a similar experience.
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I’m curious how the people that don’t care for the smell feel about cilantro.
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I enjoy cilantro. I know some people think Cilantro smells like soap.
The persimmon/kiwi odor is unmistakable and quite unpleasant.
I do love eating the fruits of both very much.
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Cilantro tastes fresh! The aroma and taste are great.
As a kid, there were a few times that my Dad had poisoned or trapped rats in the crawl space or attic and had been unable to find them for a bit… so this smell is unmistakable for me. I suppose until now.
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I see two ways, permanent and temporary. Chain saw or covid-19. But I decided to live with dead rat. ,
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When I told my husband that the leaves do smell, and I am not the only one who feels it he asked - is the person who told you that a female? Women’s sense of smell is usually stronger…
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I wonder if it’s a genetic sensitivity. I have a very good sense of smell, and I haven’t noticed anything peculiar about how my persimmon leaves smell. Granted, they are new grafts just starting to grow…
There’s a genetic trait where some people are sensitive to a component of Hershey’s chocolate that most people can’t detect at all. It makes the chocolate taste like vomit!
@tonyOmahaz5 @dimitri_7a Personally, I like the way fig leaves smell, but I do get the cat piss component. I’ve heard of fig leaf ice cream, which is probably a better balance than trees would be.
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I have noticed that the yellow A. chinensis seem to have “the stink”, but other kiwis don’t seem to have it.
A few weeks ago my significant other commented about a strange smell out back. She said something smelled dead and moldy, and wondered if there was a dead chipmunk under the deck. It was my potted Golden Sunshine kiwi on the patio. 
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This evening while taking a long walk with my dogs me and my wife just had enchanting blocks and blocks full of lilac perfume and i wanted to thank everyone that has lilacs and is out there making the world a more enjoyable place. However when i see people who plant callery pears and the tree of heaven(hell) things i am just so insulted by how bad they smell and why someone would do this to people or themselves. Luckily neither of those will grow for me so i am not tempted by foul smelling fruit trees (paws paws failed misreably here, they would live but only enough to inspire false hope and large effort). European Lindens are incredibly intoxicating and wonderful smelling and the only thing we have that can even come close (It doesn’t really) to competing with plumeria.
My sister in law cannot eat fresh cilantro as she is part of the soap people. However she agrees it smells good and once cooked she accepts it. It boggles me to think of people eating mango salsa without cilantro.