The fruit of our native American Persimmon is about the size of a quarter and deliciously sweet when ripe.  It's often compared to the flavor of dates and can be eaten raw or made into cakes and drinks.   
     
     Persimmon's fragrant, white to greenish-yellow flowers bloom in late spring and attract a lot of pollinators.  In fall its leaves turn yellow/orange and sometimes purplish red, and the trunk becomes deeply grooved as the tree matures.  New twigs can be tinted bright red.
     
     The persimmon is of special value to native bees, and it is a larval host for the Luna moth and Royal Walnut, which is among the largest of the native caterpillars.
 
     At least one male tree and one female is needed for fruit; three female trees to one male is better.  It can take 5 years or more for a persimmon to bear fruit.
 
     Persimmon makes a great landscape tree; it works well in groups; it has attractive flaky bark, revealing an orangish bark underneath; and it would be an excellent addition to a food forest.
 
     Fun fact :) Diospyros is Greek for "fruit of the gods."