Brush - Range & Pasture - Common Persimmon

BES-TEX BRUSH ID GUIDE

Common Persimmon

Eastern Persimmon

Diospyros virginiana

Perennial Woody Brush

Plant Type

Shrub or small tree; persimmon family (Ebenaceae)

Life Cycle

Perennial; native

Leaf Habit

Deciduous

Typical Height

15 to 20 ft in old fields; up to 80 ft on the best soils (Texas A&M)

Photo Gallery

Common persimmon branch with oval, pointed leaves turning fall colors — **Leaves** Photo: Andrew Conboy, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Close view of common persimmon smooth-edged oval leaves on a reddish stalk — **Leaf Shape** Photo: Ryan Watson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to Identify It

Quick ID

Bark

Brown to black, deeply furrowed
Ridges broken into checkered, block-like sections (Texas A&M)

Leaves

Simple, alternate, smooth-edged, deciduous (Texas A&M)

Flowers

Bell-shaped, yellow to green, often hidden by leaves
Bloom March through June (Texas A&M)

Fruit

Green, then yellow-orange, then purple to black when ripe
4 to 8 hard, flat brown seeds (Texas A&M)

Look-Alikes

Texas Persimmon

Texas persimmon has smooth, slick gray bark and small black fruit; common persimmon has blocky checkered bark and orange fruit (Texas A&M)

Counter script: "If it is a tree with dark blocky checkered bark, smooth oval leaves, and orange-to-purple fruit, it is most likely common persimmon."

Where It Grows

Texas

Eastern and central parts of Texas (Texas A&M)
Ecoregions (Texas A&M): Pineywoods, Gulf Prairies and Marshes, Post Oak Savannah, Blackland Prairies, Cross Timbers and Prairies, Edwards Plateau

Oklahoma

Eastern half of the state (OSU)

New Mexico

[PLACEHOLDER]

Sites and soils: Most soils from sand to shale and muddy bottomlands; best in moist, rich soils. Dry woods, old fields, and clearings (Texas A&M).

Best Time to Control

Texas A&M: defoliation treatment is most effective in May when the leaves are fully expanded. The Surmount and PastureGard HL labels list broadcast timing for persimmon from late summer through fall.

Common persimmon is a woody perennial. No pre-emergent herbicide controls common persimmon.

Treatment Methods

Foliar (Leaf) Spray

Example products: Surmount or PastureGard HL (Corteva); eastern persimmon is listed on both labels
PastureGard HL high-volume mix (label): 0.5 to 1% + 1 qt nonionic surfactant per 100 gal
Surmount mix: follow the label

Basal Bark (Stem) Spray

Example products: Remedy Ultra or PastureGard HL (Corteva); eastern persimmon is listed on both labels
PastureGard HL streamline basal (label): 25% + 10% penetrant in oil, a 2 to 3 inch band 12 to 24 inches above the ground
Remedy Ultra low-volume basal (label): 20 to 30% in oil

Cut Stump

Treat the cut surface right away
PastureGard HL (label): 25% in oil
Remedy Ultra (label): 20 to 30% in oil

Individual Plant vs. Broadcast

Surmount and PastureGard HL are labeled for broadcast; follow the label
Density guidance: [PLACEHOLDER]

Product names are examples only. Always read and follow the product label. For product selection and help, contact BES-TEX at 325.653.1300.

Sources: Surmount label, EPA Reg. No. 62719-480; PastureGard HL label, EPA Reg. No. 62719-637; Remedy Ultra label, EPA Reg. No. 62719-552; Texas A&M Plants of Texas Rangelands; Oklahoma State University Extension.