Persimmons

The native American persimmon, a round orange fruit that ranges up to the size of a small plum, is fiercely astringent when unripe because of soluble tannins in its flesh, but rich, sweet, and custardy when soft. Some improved selections were made in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but traditionally the persimmon is harvested from wild seedlings and used for puddings and breads. Although the fruit is important in American lore, it has been supplanted in commercial cultivation by the larger-fruited Asian kinds.