Editing Persimmon (section)

== Description ==

Like the [[tomato]], the persimmon is not a [[berry]] in the general [[culinary arts|culinary]] sense, but its [[Morphology (biology)|morphology]] as a single fleshy fruit derived from the ovary of a single flower means it is a [[berry (botany)|berry]] in the [[botany|botanical]] sense. The tree ''[[Diospyros kaki]]'' is the most widely cultivated species of persimmon. Typically the [[tree]] reaches {{convert|4.5|to|18|m|abbr=off|round=5}} in height and is round-topped.<ref name="morton" /> It usually stands erect, but sometimes can be crooked or have a [[willow]]y appearance.<ref name="morton" />
The [[leaves]] are {{convert|7|-|15|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=off}} long, and are [[Glossary of leaf morphology#oblong|oblong in shape]] with brown-hairy [[Petiole (botany)|petioles]] {{convert|2|cm|in|abbr=on|frac=4}} in length.<ref name="morton" /> They are leathery and glossy on the upper surface, brown and silky underneath.<ref name="morton" /> The leaves are [[deciduous]] and bluish-green in color. In autumn, they turn to yellow, orange, or red.<ref name="morton" />

Persimmon trees are typically [[dioecious]],<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Diospyros kaki 'Fuyu' – Plant Finder |url=http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d401 |website=www.missouribotanicalgarden.org}}</ref> meaning male and female flowers are produced on separate trees.<ref name="morton" /> Some trees have both male and female flowers and in rare cases may bear a [[perfect flower]], which contains both male and female reproductive organs in one flower.<ref name=":0" /> Male flowers are pink<ref name=":0" /> and appear in groups of three.<ref name="morton" /> They have a four-parted [[Sepal|calyx]], a [[Corolla (botany)|corolla]], and 24 [[stamen]]s in two rows.<ref name="morton" /> Female flowers are creamy-white<ref name=":0" /> and appear singly.<ref name="morton" /> They have a large calyx, a four-parted, yellow corolla, eight undeveloped stamens, and a rounded [[Ovary (botany)|ovary]] bearing the style and stigma.<ref name="morton" /> 'Perfect' flowers are a cross between the two.<ref name="morton" /><ref name=":0" />

Persimmon [[fruit]] matures late in the fall and can stay on the tree until [[winter]].<ref name=":0" /> In color, the ripe fruit of the cultivated strains range from glossy light [[Gold (color)|yellow-orange]] to dark [[red-orange]] depending on the species and variety.<ref name="morton" /> They similarly vary in size from {{convert|1.5|to|9|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} in diameter, and in shape the varieties may be spherical, acorn-, or pumpkin-shaped.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/kbase/crop/crops/i_persim.htm|title=General Crop Information: Persimmon|publisher=University of Hawaii, Extension Entomology & UH-CTAHR Integrated Pest Management Program|author=Carley Petersen and Annabelle Martin|access-date=2007-01-15}}</ref> The flesh is astringent until fully ripe and is yellow, orange, or dark-brown in color.<ref name="morton" /> The calyx generally remains attached to the fruit after harvesting, but becomes easy to remove once the fruit is ripe. The ripe fruit is high in [[sucrose]], mainly in the form of [[fructose]] and [[glucose]] content, and is sweet in taste.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Butt |first1=Masood Sadiq |last2=Sultan |first2=M. Tauseef |last3=Aziz |first3=Mahwish |last4=Naz |first4=Ambreen |last5=Ahmed |first5=Waqas |last6=Kumar |first6=Naresh |last7=Imran |first7=Muhammad |title=Persimmon (''Diospyros kaki'') fruit: hidden phytochemicals and health claims |journal=EXCLI Journal |date=4 May 2015 |volume=14 |pages=542–61 |doi=10.17179/excli2015-159 |pmid=27047315 |pmc=4817420 }}</ref>

{{gallery|mode=packed
|Persimmon 0375.jpg|American persimmon female flower
|Caucasian persimmon - Diospyros lotus 06.jpg|Lotus persimmon (''[[Diospyros lotus]]'') fruit on branch
|Kaki 20041002.jpg|A tree heavily laden with oriental persimmons
|Unripe persimmon.jpg|A kaki persimmon harvested while still unripe
|Persimmon leaves 2222.jpg|Persimmon leaves
|Persimmon.jpg|American persimmon leaves in autumn
}}

=== Chemistry ===
Persimmon fruits contain the [[phytochemicals]] [[catechin]], [[gallocatechin]]<ref name="woodscience">{{cite journal|first1=Fumiaki|last1=Nakatsubo|first2=Kenichi|last2=Enokita|first3=Koji|last3=Murakami|first4=Keizo|last4=Yonemori|first5=Akira|last5=Sugiura|first6=Naoki|last6=Utsunomiya|first7=Suranant|last7=Subhadrabandhu |date=October 2005 |title=Chemical structures of the condensed tannins in the fruits of ''Diospyros'' species |journal=Journal of Wood Science |location=Japan |publisher=Springer Japan |volume=48 |issue=5 |pages=414–18 |doi=10.1007/BF00770702 |s2cid=195303798|doi-access=free}}</ref> and [[betulinic acid]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Quintal-Novelo |first1=C. |last2=Moo-Puc |first2=R. E. |last3=Chale-Dzul |first3=J. |last4=Cáceres-Farfán |first4=M. |last5=Mendez-Gonzalez |first5=M. |last6=Borges-Argáez |first6=R. |year=2012 |title=Cytotoxic constituents from the stem bark of ''Diospyros cuneata'' |journal=Natural Product Research |volume=27 |issue=17 |pages=1594–97 |doi=10.1080/14786419.2012.738201 |pmid=23098219 |s2cid=28799160}}</ref>