They say
I94 American Persimmon “is also known as Claypool 1-94 or Valeen Beauty. This Large fruit has clear flesh with excellent flavor. Claypool I-94 is large, early, and delicious. It differs from Early Golden by being slightly larger, more oblate and brighter orange color.”
I 94 American Persimmon Tree - Stark Bro’s.
@Lucky_P said this 16 years ago
"Gene,
I got my Valeene Beauty scions directly from Don. My notes, from Don Compton, indicate that it is a Lena X Early Golden. I’m not certain whether or not he bred it, or whether it’s a Claypool selection.
John Raymond had an article in the Sept. 2006 NNGA ‘Nutshell’ wherein he mapped out relatedness of a bunch of the named/numbered persimmon selections, particularly those that Jim Claypool used in his breeding program.
Early Golden is a known entity, but here’s the info on Lena, from John’s article:
“Lena(Mitchellana) Winner of the Mitchell(IN) Persimmon Festival in 1955. Fruit is squat and soft with tender skin and attractive red color. Good in cooked products, flavor holds up well in frozen pulp. Ripens early over a long period.”
VB hasn’t fruited for me yet, so I can’t comment first-hand on fruit size/quality, though Don and my buddy Danny Vessels, also from IN, both gave it rave reviews. This should have been my year to get fruit, but the Easter BFD(Big Freeze Disaster) probably ended that possibility."
"H-118: A Claypool variety and daughter of Juhl. It has early ripening with excellent pulping qualities. H-118 has improved color and clearness of pulp "
I continue to be very interested in learning all i can about the work of John Hershey, Donald Compton, Jerry Lehman, Jim Claypool, John Gordon, Carl Meyers, Cliff England and others.
I thought you might want to know more of a back story on some of our favorite american persimmons
" Prok
Thought by many to be an Asian/American hybrid due to the fruit size being 30% larger than other American cultivars, ‘Prok’ is a pure 90 chromosome American persimmon from the mother ‘Pipher.’ The name comes from the acronym for ‘Persimmon Ralph Kreider’ who originally found ‘Pipher’ in Northern Illinois. ‘Prok’ has the highest flesh to seed ratio of any pollinated 90 chromosome persimmon and at 8 fruits to the pound, is thought to be the most viable American cultivar for commercial production. For Northern climates, ‘Prok’ is one of the earliest dropping cultivars and is well known to ripen before winter sets in.
Hardiness: Proven in zone 5b
Color: Peach to light orange
Size: Very large 2.5″-3″
Weight: 2 oz per fruit
Flavor: Mild, delicious
Ripening window for zone 5b: September 20th-October 1.
Parentage: Pipher x ?
John Rick
‘John Rick’ was selected by J.C. McDaniel (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) in 1958 and still receives widespread acclaim among persimmon growers for its large, handsome fruits. The orangey-yellow fruits are blushed red and are up to 2 inches in diameter. The skin and flesh are tender and flavorful. Its small calyx does not puncture other fruits in storage and combined with its overall attractiveness, ‘John Rick’ is a prime cultivar for fresh marketing. It ripens in early October. A five-year-old grafted tree often yields 40+ pounds of fruit, making ‘John Rick’ one of the highest yielding cultivars to date. Seedlings of ‘John Rick’ have been shown to be very vigorous and precocious.
Hardiness: Proven in zone 5b
Color: Orange-Yellow
Size: Large 2″
Weight: 1.5 oz per fruit
Flavor: Mild, delicious
Ripening for zone 5b: Oct 1- Oct 15.
Parentage: ‘Killen’ x ‘William’
Juhl
‘Juhl’ is one of the best pulping persimmons available, as it falls freely from the tree without its calyx and has a large flesh/seed ratio, often producing around 70% pulp. The fruit is large to very large and one of the earliest to ripen, usually in early-mid September in Indiana, but occasionally in late August. The fruit color is clear yellow with a slight red blush and heavy bloom. ‘Juhl’ has tender skin and flesh without astringency when ripe. She is a regular heavy bearer with an average of 10 fruits to the pound.
Hardiness: Proven in zone 5b
Color: Light/Clear Yellow
Size: Large 2″-2.5″
Weight: 1.5 oz per fruit
Flavor: Mild, delicious
Ripening for zone 5b: September 15th
Parentage: Unknown (probably a wild selection)
Morris Burton
‘Morris Burton’ was discovered by cows in Indiana. The Burtons had a large farm covered with persimmon trees, but all the animal trails led to this tree. When the owners tasted the fruit, they found out why it was so popular. The fruit is small and the flesh a beautiful red, but all who have tasted this one agree that it has the best flavor of all. J.C. McDaniels once said: “‘Morris Burton’ is the finest flavored persimmon under Illinois and Indiana conditions.” The sugar content is so high that you can cut the sugar added in recipes by 50% and get the required results. The foliage turns bright yellow in the fall and is very ornamental looking. It is precocious and bares large annual crops. 25 fruits to the pound.
Hardiness: Proven in zone 5b
Color: Dark orange
Size: Medium Small 1″-1.5″
Weight: .6oz/fruit
Flavor: Rich, Brown Sugar, Exceptional
Ripening for zone 5b: October 15th
Parentage: Wild selection"
There is an entire thread on this @Auburn started years ago Morris Burton growing well . I’m guessing they either got bored with Morris Burton or they all buried with fruit by now.