This website Outstanding Cultivars – Best Persimmon ranks Outstanding Cultivars. Please disregard the 2 kaki hybrids at the bottom though i’m sure they are excellent. All the 100-45, 100-43 , 100-42 are on there. 100-46 is likely too new.
" Outstanding Cultivars
Claypool (this page under construction)
C-100
B-59 seed and fruit
Dollywood/D-128 fruit only, seed extremely large
I 115
A118 seed and fruit
B56 seed and fruit
C100
B101 seed and fruit
H118
Lehman
400-19 seed and fruit
400-21
400-23
100-45
100-43 seed and fruit
100-42
Heritage varieties
Prok
Killen fruit only ,seed stores poorly
Early Golden, heritage only , no outstanding qualities
John Rick ,heritage only , no outstanding qualities
==================================
Hybrids
Roseyanka , the original hybrid from Russia, very hardy to central Indiana, fruit never falls must be picked, requires severe pruning to avoid fruit being out of reach on tall tree, production can be 30 gallon of fruit on one tree
JT-02 aka Mikkusu , a very Hardy 50/50 Asian/American persimmon hybrid"
One of the earliest ripening American Persimmon varieties, Prairie Star® American Persimmon is prized for its unusually large, very sweet, firm and flavorful fruit. Apparently self-fertile, Prairie Star™ fruit is also seedless in our orchard. (Claypool H-118 cv.)
One of our best native American fruits and hardy to minus 25 °F, American Persimmon can be grown in all but the coldest regions of the U.S. Our hard-to-find, grafted varieties produce bountiful crops of delicious, light-orange fruit. American Persimmon fruit is ready to eat when it is soft like a tomato and is great for fresh eating and for making delectable cookies, cakes, and other treats. American Persimmon trees are easy to keep 10-12 ft in height with pruning.
They like full to half day sun and can grow on most soils. Our varieties are partially to fully self-fertile but all will bear heavier crops with a Male tree for pollination. Naturally pest and disease resistant, our American Persimmon varieties can produce 30 lbs. or more of fruit and often begin bearing the 2nd or 3rd year after planting.
Latin Name: Diospyros virginiana Site and Soil: Persimmons like 1/2 day to full sun and well-drained soil Rootstock Description: Grafted onto American Persimmon rootstock Pollination Requirements: Prairie Star® is self-fertile. Plant with our Male Persimmon to ensure good crops Hardiness: Hardy to minus 25°F. Bearing Age: 2-3 years after planting Size at Maturity: 10-12 ft. in height (with occasional pruning) Taste: Sweet Fruit Size: Large Bloom Time: June Ripening Time: Late September Yield: 30+ lbs. Pests & Diseases: With proper care and placement Persimmon trees are not bothered by pests or diseases USDA Zone: 4-9"
These are how the numbers and names line up
" Prairie Dawn®
(Claypool H55A cv.) From the breeding work of the late Jim Claypool in eastern Illinois, Prairie Dawn® is early ripening and features abundant crops of large, golden-orange, sweet and flavorful fruit.1450
Prairie Gem™
(Claypool F-25 cv.) This unique and very attractive variety features delicious, light orange, sweet and tender fruit. Prairie Gem™ bears abundant crops of easy to pick, seedless Persimmons.1453
Prairie Star®
(Claypool H-118 cv.) A superior and early ripening selection from the work of Jim Claypool, Prairie Star® is prized for its large, sweet and flavorful, orange-yellow fruit.1455
Prairie Sun®
(Claypool A-33 cv.) This beautiful, orange-yellow fruit is not only early ripening, it is delectably sweet, firm and delicious. Prairie Sun® is another excellent selection from Jim Claypool’s orchard.1457"
i believe H-118 is the original number designation from Jim Claypool’s orchard. probably designates a row “H” and the number in that row.
I think ‘Early Jewel’ was Jerry Lehman’s name for it. Not that h-118 doesnt make your mouth water. Its the name i put the tags in my orchard.
‘Prairie Star’ was the name given by One Green World, who trademarked it under this name. i like OGW as a nursery, but this business of trademarking other people’s breeding work is bogus. It creates needless confusion, since these are already named cultivars in most cases, and it just doesnt pass the smell test IMO.
In this particular instance, I believe Jim Claypool actually provided OGW with the varieties and allowed them to release them under their own names. in many other cases, though, they seem to simply scarf up someone elses named selection and file a trademark for it.
That is very confusing. It creates duplicates in the orchard unless people are reading this thread or others like it which sorts all of this out. When in doubt im using the documents above and making notes as i use the spreadsheet and pdf above
I have a few of those growing already (Prok, John Rick, 100-46, JT-02, among others) and plenty of rootstock to graft over to some of those other varieties.
My H-118 just came in today! Got the hole ready and everything. As you know, now comes the hard part of getting the graft through the first few winters.
I think JIm Claypool, Jerry Lehman, and the countless folks who’ve perennially placed ‘Early Golden’ as ‘tops for flavor’ in INGA persimmon taste testings at Jerry’s place would disagree with the ‘historical with no outstanding qualities’ notation.
So I searched it and the overall top Persimmon according to the points is L-128a at 84.5. Is this a cultivar that ever received a name? Is anyone still growing it?
Also I see a I-94a with a 10 on his flavor scale with 78.2 total points. There is another persimmon called I-94 aka Valeene Beauty.
I’m assuming they are two different trees as perfect circle farm has them as different trees. Can anyone clear that up?
This may be naieve… After reading the mess associated with the Hershey plantings (the best cultivars that were available destroyed for developments) it seems that every state should have a conservation (“germplast”) dedicated to preserving important heritage timber, orchard, and agricultural species (potentially more where there are multiple zones and less where regional groupings can be made). While the Hershey plantings seem like a great idea the fundamental problem seems that it was placed in the middle of a town (to be honest I have not been there). It seems to be better to have been placed in the middle of no-where like state college, PA.
The important plantings of claypool and lehnman and others should be considered heritage and be saved if at all possible for future generations.
Exactly! How short-sighted can we be- to let developers ruin irreplaceable breeding orchards? I retired from natural area conservation a long time ago but I don’t recall any NGOs targeting such resources. A lot of responsibility falls to the researcher/landowner, like Lee Calhoun who made sure his heirlooms were secure at Horne Creek Preservation Farm.
@ansayre
The states have punted this to the USDA. In return, the USDA established seed and clonal germplasm repositories in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Ten years later the U.S. Congress capped the budgets of the repository program, requiring any increase in salaries or number of staff positions to be offset by reductions in maintenance costs – including labor.
The USDA repository for persimmon is NCGR Davis (not UC Davis). Nowadays the majority of maintenance there is funded by the nut growers association and large agricultural producers – who also fund research grants for studies and experimental breeding of the specimens there.
If someone is interested in adding persimmon specimens to the NCGR repository then the place to start is their administrative office on Straloch Road in Davis CA.
Cliff England posted these but remember disregard kaki and hybrid on this thread. I’m sure the kaki types are great but not exactly what we are after in this thread
" American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) Astringent GRAFTED. Small 12 to 24 inches tall $35.00;
Medium 2 to 3 feet tall $45.00;
Large trees 3 to 4 feet tall $55.00
Wonderful – Late ripening from October to November, the largest fruit to come out of the England’s selection of new cultivars for production and taste. Very large fruit, progeny of Yates/Juhl X F-100 male, tree of medium size with spreading growth habits. It would be good for wildlife food source late in the fall or for a late ripening cultivar to add to any collection for pulp production.
Prok - Persimmon was a seedling from Cornell University breeding program grown out by John Gordon of Amherst NY. Produces very large fruit, ripens in late August here in Kentucky, has few seeds. It is my favorite persimmon for cooking and eating out of hand. Ripens long before frost.
****100-46 - Lehman’s Delight From the Breeding work of Jerry Lehman of Terra Haute Indiana, one of his newest creations. Very large fruit, smooth flesh, clear pulp, and made to be loved. While not a large tree it is one of the heaviest producing persimmon I have ever witnessed. With very good flavor and smooth flesh, this fruit is all about taste.
Jenny’s Early is Pure American = produces a large fruit sweet early, productive and very precocious. Is a smallish tree. No pollinators needed; will set fruit without a male but this tree is not as vigorous growing as others. Noted because it may require improved planting site.
Journey is a Hybrid 12.5 % Kaki F-4 cross of ( Rossey X Great wall ) X ( H-118 Early Jewel X OP) = no Male flowers has a taste of Vanilla, is excellent and begins to ripen before all the persimmons that we have planted, It has one flaw that I am not excited about, the production is so heavy that the limbs dangle with the weight of the fruit bending downward. First of the season to fruit then followed by J-59 and Prok.
Early Jewel = H-118 – Very Early, Large size fruit, Red colored fruit, Soft when Ripe very High-quality Fruit Precocious and a consistent producer bears seedless fruit south of the Ohio River due to it being a 90 Chromosome persimmon. Out of the Late James Claypool Breeding program, Very early, large size, reddish colored fruit, soft when ripe.
Deer Magnet – Very late to ripen fruit hangs on the trees in to early winter Very vigorous grower once established and is known to be the number one tree in the Lehman’s Orchard most visited for Food in the winter time by the wild life but please do not get us wrong this is a very good tasting persimmon for human food value as well if you have ever eaten a persimmon popsicle then you will know what we mean because it is a delight to still find persimmons on the tree in to the month of December.
****Deer Candy - Upright growing tree, fruit is orange and large for an American persimmon, ripens well into late November. This tree does hold its fruit well and drops over a long period of time with some fruit remaining on the tree into December. Fruit is 2 inches average and is great because of the long production season farther south where extending the growing season matters. Deer will check this tree daily for dropped fruit.
Celebrity - U20A- Crystal clear fruit nearly seedless with the texture of Kaki persimmon. Rated very high for disease resistance and very high for the quality of fruit. Closest to a kaki as you can get with the cold hardiness of Virginiana. Selected from the Jerry Lehman’s crosses of Dollywood D128 X F58 male. Both are progeny of Miller and Early Golden. This tree comes from the Lehman breeding program.
Jon’s Pride - Upright vigorous grower very precocious Medium to large fruit, Ripens Very Late into December and slowly dropping over a 3 to 4 week period , Taste is like Vanilla but with a thicker consistency than Pudding and is Visited daily while the fruit are dropping and into the winter once the deer have that flavor imprinted to their Memory the deer will be there daily to the sugar shack for this gum drop.
Yates – a Favorite of many, large fruit and very flavorful, and is a very heavy producer of 2.5 inch persimmon fruits with low numbers of seed to fruit ratio, It is a favorite here at England Orchard as one of these is planted in the Yard next to our home. Discovered by Ed Yates of Kentucky. Container grown sizes
Osage = H69A Seedling - Medium size tree, comes into production very early, Heavy producer of large fruit and was grown out and Named by Wes Rice of Oklahoma Seed ratio is low, and taste is excellent. Container grown sizes
H63A – Well known in the nursery trade and is a star among the Indiana Prairie , This selection was Breed By James Claypool and our tree is growing directly behind the house on top of the hill our 20 plus year old tree is a medium size tree of about 14 feet tall and is very productive and produces large delicious tasting Persimmons.
Dollywood=D128- This Persimmon tree was named by the Late Jerry Lehman while on a trip to visit Bill Owens in Dollywood Tenn. It has a most interesting growth habit (while producing large flavorful persimmon fruit of about 2.5 inches wide) it is a spreading tree while instead of growing upward it tends to spread outward from the trunk making a large canopy with drooping branches to include this growth habit with heavy production it is well worthy of having in the orchard. Limited numbers on hand.
Claypool = H-120-Named After James Claypool Very productive tree of medium height, Quality of fruit is far exceeding all average trees and produces excellent tasting fruit clear juicy pulp with no black specking on the pulp.
Early Golden – This Persimmon is the original grafted persimmon from the late 1800s. It set the standard and for the past 100 years has been used as a measure for all newly developed persimmon cultivars. EG is the progenitor of the most recently developed persimmons cultivars in the Claypool and the Lehman breeding programs.
Mohler- Medium size fruit, upright with spreading growth habits. Ripens early August through early September. Fruit is exceptionally sweet with complex fruity flavors. Considered to be one of the best tasting legacy cultivars still on the market.
Elmo A-118 – Mis season, very Large size fruit, Bright Orange colored fruit, Soft when Ripe very High-quality Fruit Precocious and a consistent producer bears seedless fruit south of the Ohio River due to it being a 90 Chromosome persimmon. Out of the Late James Claypool Breeding program.
Barbra’s Blush = WS8-10- A long with Celebrity these 2 trees would produce all the persimmons needed in a number of years healthy, very productive and has an even lateral limb structure that will support the large load of the very large 2.25 to 2.50-inch fruit.
Other cultivars on hand in few numbers Yates/Juhl, I-94 Valene Beauty, Barbara’s Blush (WS8-10)
Persimmon seedlings will be available in March 2021. Price will depend on Size.
90 Chromosome northern persimmon seedlings. Diospyros virginiana. Size 2 to 3 feet tall $8.00 each
Size 3 to 4 feet tall $10.00 each
Size 4 to 5 feet tall and taller $15.00
Asian Persimmon Hybrid (Diospyros Virginiana X Kaki) - These very fine persimmons have been tested and selected for many years. They have been selected over many others for their taste, size and cold hardiness. Zone 5b and higher recommended. S, M, L, XL, XXL sizes available for most varieties. Can ship up to 84 inches tall
****Kasandra - A Hybrid of Great Wall crossed by an F2 Male of Rosseyanka Hybrid back crossed to Virginiana. Tested cold hardy to - 16 degrees with no evidence of freeze damage. It is a large fruit measuring about 2.50 to 2.75 inches and is delicious when ripe. Hybridized by David Lavergne, has a Brix test of 21 and ripens mid-season. Luscious bright green foliage looks like a true Kaki. Zone 5b to 9.
Zima khurma =NB-02 Persimmon bred out of Nikitskaya Bordovaya, cold hardy and good producer of orange medium to large size fruit that ripens Late-season on a semi-vigorous tree. Has low spreading growth habit and is a beautiful specimen in the fall. Trees are very cold hardy tested down to minus -16.4 F for a long time. This cultivar was bred in Japan and brought to America by Jerry Lehman of Terre Haute, Indiana. Zone 5b to ZONE 8, tested to -16 F.
David’s Kandy - Hybrid Kuro Kaki X (Hybrid Male = Rosseyanka X OP D. Virginiana) about 50/50 Kaki X Virginiana; Bred by the late David J. Lavergne hybridized in the spring of 2011. We at England’s germinated the seed, grew it out for one year and then planted it in our persimmon planting for trials in our area. It was tested for cold hardiness during the Polar Vortex of 2014-15 winter. This tree had no winter injury and gave fruit the following year. David’s Kandy has been cold hardy in -16°F temps. However, it has not been tested in ZONE 5. We can not be held responsible for extreme cold weather events.
David’s Kandy - an Original Hybrid Persimmon Coming in Fall 2018 A Complex Hybrid - Adaptable in Zone 5 Precocious – Gorgeous! A Great Ornamental!
David’s Kandy attracts deer BUT is too tall for deer to reach fruit Click HERE for details about David’s Kandy and pictures of this tree and its fruit.
Rosseyanka Hybrid - Persimmon of exceptional quality and the large size which in near a 3 inch persimmon that ripens late and is very delicious we have been growing this selection for Approx. 20 year or so and We have never been disappointed with the crops of Luscious fruit that looks like Orange Orbs when the tree looses the leaves and the fruit remains on the trees. Reminiscent of Dio. Virginiana our native persimmons but Suitable for Zone 5 and very hardy down to about -18 degrees it is one of our favorites here our orchards.
Mikkusu kaki Hybrid = JT-02 - A true 50/50 hybrid of Josephine V. X Taishu Kaki. Bred in Japan, imported by Jerry Lehman in 2006 and grown in several locations in the USA. Medium to large fruit, square-ish shape, is an astringent type till soft when it’s a mouthwatering tasty 2.5 to 3.0-inch fruit. Smallish tree, not vigorous at all, is precocious and has spreading growth habits. It must be staked to support fruit load as it is a very heavy producer. Very cold hardy, has never had any freeze damage or cold injury. Zone 5b and Zone 8 / tested to -16 Degrees F.
Sestronka / NB-21 Hybrid – Developed by Jerry Lehman of Terre Haute IN. Fruit is very large as large as the Pure Kaki but oh so much tastier and larger than average pure Kaki fruit, is reddish with thin skin does not fall from the tree trees are small and not very vigorous, it is a seedling of Nikitskaya Bordovaya crossed back to Virginiana. Breeding and embryo rescue was performed in Japan to bring this cultivar to the world, is not any more cold hardier than pure kaki persimmon.
Mt. Roman Kosh- A smallish tree, originally from Ukraine, precocious and very productive has no astringency once the fruit is ripe and is a medium to large fruit. It is a complex hybrid of American and Asian Persimmon hybrid. Cold hardy to Zone 6a
Mount Gorvela Rogers- Smallish size tree but vigorous grower has tendencies to spread out wider than tall. Productive of medium to large fruits that are delicious when ripe. However, must be soft to eat. Complex hybrid of American and Asian Persimmon hybrid from Ukraine. Cold hardy to Zone 6a Sizes.
****Picudo from Italy - This tree is also know as Costata. A tree of great vigor, regularly fertile and very productive. Its very decorative foliage is a beautiful bright red color in autumn and accompanies fruiting. Its cold hardiness is high. Fruit mid-season, early flowering, good size, conical and ribbed, it is a beautiful yellow-orange. The skin is thin, light and creamy flesh is soft, tasty and pleasant, the taste is good, their ability to dry is good. The fruit are of an astringent type.
Asian Persimmon - Diospyros Kaki - These very fine persimmons have been tested. Selected for many years over many others, primarily for their cold hardiness, they have been tested down to minus -16 for the last 2 years. Their taste, size and productivity are excellent.
****Chinebuli - NON-Astringent Asian Persimmon, which comes to us from Bulgaria. It is sweet crunchy when hard and a medium size fruit that ripens mid-season. It has had only minor freeze damage while we have grown this cultivar here for the past 8 years during one of the coldest winters we have ever experienced (the Polar express) with temps dipping into the mid-teens. There was tip burn but this tree took it in stride and produced the next spring. It is a smallish growing tree with beautiful foliage. Zone 6 to 9
Yes. Understood. I don’t even get a response from requests to visit the apple germplast in NY.
The point was that all people should have more intimate contact with their local biosphere. I have asked several of my piers recently (60’s age group) and they had never tasted persimmons nor paw paws.
Our future generations will not be impressed (or they will be too dumb to know what has been lost).
A few more types that are very cold hardy. If your in a colder region you might want to read this thread
Meader Persimmon
The cold hardy Meader Persimmon is the perfect addition to any food plot. Self-pollinating and featuring a December drop, this variety will produce an abundance of nutritious fruits for wildlife. Enjoy the benefits of a long-growing season, large tree size, and heavy yields.
Recommended to plant Morse Female next to this plant.
Plant Details
Zones: 4a-8Soil Types: Wide VarietySoil Conditions: Well Drained, WetGrowth Rates: Very FastMaturity Height: 60 FeetProduction Starts: 3-5 YearsHarvest/Drop Details: August - NovemberCrop Abundance: LargeSpecializations: Self Pollinating, Cold Hardy
September Persimmon
A33 is a heavy producing persimmon tree that drops fruit throughout the entire month of September.
August Persimmon
This Persimmon is a Self-Pollinator and is great for an Early Season persimmon. This would be our choice for a commercial orchard as well so all harvesting can be done in August.
Plant Details
Zones: 4-8Soil Types: Wide VarietySoil Conditions: Well Drained, Little MoistureGrowth Rates: FastMaturity Height: 60’Production Starts: 3-5 YearsHarvest/Drop Details: AugustCrop Abundance: HeavySpecializations: Commercial Persimmon Production, Early Season Hunting
Morse Persimmon
Morse Persimmon Grafted Female needs a male pollinator but is late dropping and our most Cold Hardy persimmon! Rated up to Zone 4a. This tree has survived -35 below zero!
Plant Details
Zones: 4a-8Soil Types: Wide VarietySoil Conditions: Wetter Soils, Well DrainedGrowth Rates: FastMaturity Height: 60’Production Starts: 5-7 YearsHarvest/Drop Details: OctoberCrop Abundance: Very LargeSpecializations: Cold Hardy and Heavy production
Deer Magnet (Nov) Persimmon
Deer Magnet Persimmon is Self Pollinating and one of the best fruit you can plant to bring deer to your food plot. Drops from November - Early December.
Plant Details
Zones: 4-8Soil Types: Wide VarietySoil Conditions: Well Drained, Little MoistureGrowth Rates: Very FastMaturity Height: 60’Production Starts: 3-5 YearsHarvest/Drop Details: NovemberCrop Abundance: Very HeavySpecializations: Self-Pollinating Late Drop
Deer Candy (Oct) Persimmon
This is a game changer when it comes to Whitetail daytime movement during October – Early November. The high sugar content make this a treat to the white tails! Delivery size 18-24 inches.
Wonderful – Late ripening from October to November, the largest fruit to come out of the England’s selection of new cultivars for production and taste. Very large fruit, progeny of Yates/Juhl X F-100 male, tree of medium size with spreading growth habits. It would be good for wildlife food source late in the fall or for a late ripening cultivar to add to any collection for pulp production.
