Texas Persimmon
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Also known as Texas Persimmon, Mexican Persimmon, Black Persimmon, Chapote, Chapote Prieto
Diospyros texana, popularly known as Texas Persimmon, is a delightful shrub or small tree with sturdy wood and a charming multiple-trunk setup. Typically, it reaches heights of 10 to 15 feet, but in the southern regions, it can stretch up to 35 feet! You’ll often find this lovely tree flourishing in brushy areas, on gentle uplands, rocky hillsides, and lower slopes, extending from Houston and Bryan in the east, all the way west to Big Bend, and south to Nuevo Leon in northeastern Mexico. It’s quite a sight in central and south Texas, where it grows abundantly.
The bark of the Texas Persimmon is a lovely light gray to white shade, smooth yet thin, often peeling into charming rectangular flakes revealing a beautiful pinkish layer underneath. Its leaves can grow up to 2 inches long, though most are around half that size, featuring smooth edges and a slightly notched or rounded tip that tapers gracefully at the base. The flowers are dainty and whitish, measuring about 3/8 inch across, and appear singly or in small clusters among fresh new leaves. In March and April, you’ll spot the male and female flowers gracing separate plants, adding a sweet touch to the landscape. The fruit, which is fleshy and round, can reach up to 1 inch in diameter, turning a lovely black and sweet when ripe, with harvesting time spanning from late July to September.
This small tree boasts a gorgeous shape, treasured mainly for its striking trunk and branches, which display a smooth, pale grayish-white or whitish-gray exterior, peeling away to reveal subtle greys, whites, and pinks hiding underneath. The edible fruits from the female trees become soft and carry a flavor reminiscent of prunes, making them a favorite among many birds and mammals. Plus, it’s incredibly drought-tolerant and disease-resistant, perfect for cozy spaces basking in full sun.
The tree is generally deciduous in the areas north of the Rio Grande Valley, especially where winters can get chilly. However, from this valley southward, it becomes semi-deciduous to evergreen, shedding its leaves all at once in early spring, just like live oaks, without leaving a bare period. The heartwood, which you’ll find only in larger trunks, reveals a striking black color similar to its ebony relative (Diospyros ebenum), while the sapwood maintains a lovely clear yellow shade.
BONAP MAP
Height: 20’-40’
Spread 15’-25’
Bloom: February-April
Light: Full Sun, Part Shade
Water: Low
Zone: 7, 8, 9
Origin: Southwestern United States
Spring Shipping:
Orders are shipped within 7-10 business days. We will email you if there are expected delays.
When you order plants from our nursery, you can expect them to arrive in the best possible condition. Our team carefully packs each order using sturdy, biodegradable packaging materials.
Your plants' appearance may vary depending on the season and their current growth stage. We may cut back the leafy growth of some plants to prepare them for shipment and transplanting.
5 Gallon and Up: Any plant purchased to ship over 5 Gallons will be shipped bare root. This means we will remove the plant from its original pot, remove the soil surrounding the roots, and wrap the roots with a biodegradable plastic bag. This reduces weight and the likelihood of damage during shipping.
Once your plants arrive, it is essential to plant them as soon as possible. This will help them rebound and thrive. If you cannot plant immediately, water regularly and keep the roots off heat-conducting surfaces.
Newly transplanted plants often require more water until their roots are well established. Plan to water them 1-3 times weekly for the first few months.
