Top Selling, Delicious Fuyu Jiro Persimmon
- Late Midseason
- Self-Fertile
- Orange-Red Edible Fruit
- Beautiful Tree Called an Edible Ornamental
- Outstanding Fall Color
- Hardy
- 200 Chill Hours
- Disease and Pest Resistant
One of the world’s most popular fruit, the Fuyu Jiro Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Fuyu’) outsells other fruiting varieties such as Fuji Apple, Bing Cherry and Wonderful Pomegranate in the wholesale fruit trees industry as much as 50%.
For Persimmons, two selections dominate the lion’s share of the market. One is the astringent Hachiya, which needs to be soft ripe to enjoy. The other is the non-astringent Fuyu Jiro Persimmon – nicknamed the Apple Persimmon – which can be eaten fresh when still firm and crunchy.
Long appreciated for its crunchy, sweet fruit that eats almost like an apple right off the tree. Fuyu also is wonderful for cooking and dehydrating. There is most likely no better snack in the middle of the winter than a dried Fuyu Jiro Persimmon.
Typically seedless (unless another Persimmon variety is close by) almost the entire fruit is edible right through to the core. This makes it easy to work with in food preparations or for slicing for drying. The 4 to 5 inch fruit is flat and almost square, with four soft corners.
The fruit has a sticky, sweet interior that is unique in its flavor and texture. In fact, the word Diospyros means “fruit of the gods”.
Persimmon fruits are low in calories and fat, but high in fiber, vitamins and other nutrients. Still being studied for its high antioxidant qualities, the Fuyu Jiro Persimmon is by far one of today’s super foods!
A native to China, Persimmon’s have been cultivated for 1000 years with over 2000 different known varieties existing. Fuyu Jiro is one of a number of flat-style Japanese types of Persimmons with Fuyu as a part of the name.
A wonderfully versatile deciduous ornamental tree with edible fruit, the Fuyu Jiro Persimmon is truly one of the finest edible ornamentals that one can plant in the home landscape.
How to Use Fuyu Jiro Persimmon in the Landscape
Many homeowners are discovering the ornamental beauty and health benefits of growing their own fruit at home. The Fuyu Jiro develops into a beautiful tree with very healthy fruit.
The tree delights all through the year. Fragrant white flowers in spring are a siren call to hummingbirds and butterflies.
Beautifully shaped foliage is bright lime green in spring. As summer sets in, the leaves deepen into a dark green on top, with a paler underside that catches the sunlight and each tiny breeze.
It provides shade for the Fuyu’s developing crop. The Persimmon fruit starts out green, but slowly transitions to a bright orange. The fruit hangs as singles or clusters of fruit throughout the canopy. The fruit ripens late in the season towards the beginning of fall.
The tree features incredible fall color of fiery reds with brilliant oranges. You’ll want to select a prominent location in the yard to feature the autumn excitement of a Fuyu Jiro Persimmon.
Even in winter when the leaves have fallen, the ornamental bark is a dark grey patch work of squares and rectangles that surround the trunk. You’ll appreciate that showy display and the brawny structure of the tree.
Tips for Care
Although the Fuyu Jiro Persimmon is pest resistant and easy care, it does have some special requirements. First, when siting your tree, it’s best to give it well-drained soil and a full sun position.
If you see puddles that remain long after a rain, you’ll need to mound up as a young tree’s roots are very sensitive to poor drainage and lack of oxygen in the soil. When locations are limited, and drainage is a concern, elevate your planting with a raised bed 12 to 18 inches high and at least 36 inches wide and plant directly in the raised bed.
Fuyu Jiro is one of the hardier of the Japanese varieties of Persimmons and can take temperatures to Zone 7. This is a tree you won’t have to fuss over, as it’s hardy and tolerant of a wide range of climate conditions.
Give it regular water the first year in your landscape. Once the roots are established in your soil, the Fuyu is quite drought tolerant.
Persimmon trees are lovely ornamentals with outstanding fall fruit. Other parts of the tree have also been traditionally used, such as the leaves for tea and the wood (which is extremely hard) once used to make golf clubs.