Latest Ripening American Persimmon

[Ortegojeffrey]

I wanted to see what are some of the last ripening American persimmons?

[Lucky_P]

Jeffrey,
I had a local D.v. selection(Crofton) that I sent scions of to Dr. Charles Dahlke at Macon, MS some years back, that held its fruits well into December here - his interest was in late-ripening/dropping persimmons for wildlife(deer) plantings.
The ortet is no longer in existence, as the fencerow it was growing in was bulldozed out a few years ago.
'simmons are way ahead of schedule here this year… gathered nearly a gallon of ripe fruits from the trees in the orchard yesterday, and have been eating a few here and there for a week or two.

The hybrid Rosseyanka is usually not ripe here until late Oct/early Nov, and the fruits hold on the tree well.

[Ortegojeffrey]

Thank you for that info Lucky! I have been referred to Dr. Dahlke previously but hadn’t got in touch. I’ll try him.

[Hillbillyhort]

[Sweet lent persimmon](http://Sweet lent persimmon)

[Ortegojeffrey]

Thanks Hillbilly! That’s what I’m lookin for. Maybe we could set up a trade/sale for some scion of Lent?

[Hillbillyhort]

[Mikatani]

Perhaps my question does not fit in this subject but I found it the most logical one…
Quite often “Geneva Red” American persimmon is said to be very late ripening. In my collection this persimmon is actually one of the first to ripen. We had a very hot summer in Europe this year and I got to eat my first “Geneva red” persimmon Aug. 17th. exeptionally early!!! I do not have the wrong variety, it is indeed “Geneva red”. Does anyone have similar results with this variety?

[Levers101]

Sweet lent persimmon

I think all I have to add since I first asked is this response from Jerry Lehman: I am the originator of Deer Magnet and Deer Candy. Deer Candy is mid to late season excellent fruit for both deer and human. Here in Indiana it drops the fruit from October into November. The problem with most very late ripening virginiana varieties is they retain their fruit rather than dropping it, much to the joy of birds. Deer Magnet typically holds its fruit then drops it around December 1. Rosseyanka (Russia…

[Ortegojeffrey]

I agree about the low-shatter persimmon. Im not necessarily trying to find a late dropping, but a late ripening variety. If it ripens early and is low-shatter(doesn’t fall from the tree) it is ripe for coons and birds.

[cousinfloyd]

I would also be interested in good eating quality, late ripening varieties even if they didn’t fall from the tree. That would be very interesting, but something like the way Jerry Lehman describes Deer Magnet (late ripening but small with a large number of seeds) sounds like it indeed isn’t good for anything but deer hunters. I wonder if Jerry Lehman kept track of the best of the “most very late ripening virginiana varieties… [that] retain their fruit rather than dropping it…”

[Barkslip]

Deer Magnet is excellent eating. Unfortunately Jerry’s entire orchard becomes pollinated. As I write I can tell you just as I was standing next to Lehman last Fall and him telling me that every American persimmon at a friend of his ‘collection’ and we’re talking acres, has no access to male pollen and they all set excellent amounts of fruit.

I would highly recommend Deer Magnet for fresh eating.

Dax