Diospyros is a genus of over 700 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. Individual species valued for their hard, heavy, dark timber, are commonly known as ebony trees, while others are valued for their fruit and known as persimmon trees. This post is focused on its fruit, the persimmon. I have discovered this kind of fruit since June of 2020, but I have not been sure what they are. Every time I walk near a similar plant, I take a few pictures until they change color and I can confirm that they are persimmons. I usually buy the flat-bottomed ones at the supermarket, they are crispy and not astringent. The heart-shaped persimmon can be very astringent if you don’t have the patience to wait for it to be fully ripe. The astringent taste can be very uncomfortable. The heart-shaped ones are softer and sweeter. But I rather buy the flat-bottomed one so I won’t bite into the astringent persimmons.
柿樹屬 (Diospyros) 是一屬植物，包含 700 多種落葉、常綠喬木和灌木。大多數原產於熱帶地區，只有少數種類延伸到溫帶地區。有些樹種因其木材堅硬、沉重、深色而受到重視，通常被稱為烏木樹，而其他樹種則因其果實而受到重視，被稱為柿子樹。這篇文章是專注在它的果實 - 柿子。從 2020 年六月就發現這種果實，但一直不確定是什麼，每次走過類似的植物附近，就照幾張相，直到它變色後，才可確定是柿子。我在超市通常買底部扁平的種類、它們比較脆而且也不澀。另外雞心形的柿子，若沒有耐心等它全熟就吃，那種澀味可不好受，但熟後很軟而且比扁的更甜，但是我不太會判斷，所以買扁的比較安全，不會太澀。
Notes 筆記
- The persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros. The most widely cultivated of these is the Asian or Japanese persimmon, Diospyros kaki.
- Diospyros is in the family Ebenaceae, and a number of non-persimmon species of the genus are grown for ebony timber.
- Persimmons are not commonly considered to be berries, but morphologically the fruit is in fact a berry.
- Persimmon trees are typically dioecious, meaning male and female flowers are produced on separate trees. Male flowers are pink and appear in groups of 3. Female flowers are creamy-white and appear singly. Some trees have both male and female flowers.
- Persimmon fruit matures late in the fall and can stay on the tree until winter. In color, the ripe fruit of the cultivated strains range from glossy light yellow-orange to dark red-orange depending on the species and variety.
- The edible species of Diospyros include Diospyros kaki (Asian persimmon, Japanese persimmon), Diospyros lotus (date-plum), Diospyros virginiana (American persimmon), Diospyros nigra (black sapote / chocolate pudding fruit / black persimmon), Diospyros discolor, Diospyros peregrina (Indian persimmon / wild persimmon/ Tendu fruit / Tembhra ), Diospyros texana (Texas persimmon).
- There are more than 1,000 varieties of persimmons. There are two types of persimmon fruit: astringent and non-astringent. Astringent fruit can be consumed only when it is fully ripe and soft (when content of bitter compounds, called tannins, drop to a minimum). Fruit of non-astringent type of persimmon can be consumed unripe, while it is still crispy. Before ripening, persimmons usually have a “chalky” or bitter taste.
- Persimmon can be consumed fresh, dried or as an ingredient of breakfast cereals, muffins, pies, breads, cakes, salads and puddings. Fermented persimmon is used for the manufacture of persimmon vinegar, better known as “gamsikcho”.
- Leaves of persimmon can be used for the preparation of tea, while roasted, ground seed can be used as a substitute for coffee.
- Tannins extracted from the unripe persimmon are used for brewing of sake in Japan.
- Persimmon is rich source of dietary fibers, vitamins A, C and vitamins of the B group and minerals such as potassium, manganese, copper and phosphorus.
- Compounds isolated from persimmon have anti-inflammatory (prevent inflammation), and anti-infective (prevent infections) properties.
- Though persimmon trees belong to the same genus as ebony trees, persimmon tree wood has a limited use in the manufacture of objects requiring hard wood. It is hard, but cracks easily and is somewhat difficult to process. Persimmon wood is used for paneling in traditional Korean and Japanese furniture.
- In North America, persimmon wood is used to produce the shafts of some musical percussion mallets and drumsticks. It was also heavily used in making the highest-quality heads of the golf clubs known as “woods” until the golf industry moved primarily to metal woods in the last years of the 20th century.
- Solution made of crushed wild persimmons and water is used as natural, homemade insect repellent.
- Persimmon can survive up to 75 years in the wild.
- 柿子是柿屬許多樹種的可食用果實。 其中，種植最廣泛的是亞洲或日本的柿子。
- 柿屬植物是柿科，許多非食用的柿種被用來當烏木。
- 柿子通常不被認為是漿果，但是從形態上講，它實際上是漿果。
- 柿子樹通常是雌雄異株，這意味著雄性和雌性花是在不同的樹上。雄花是粉紅色的，每3朵一組出現。雌花是乳白色，並單獨出現。但有些樹上雄花和雌花都有。
- 柿子果實在晚秋時成熟，可以留在樹上直到冬天。在顏色上，根據品種的不同，成熟果實從有光澤的黃橙色到深紅橙色不等。
- 柿屬的可食用種類包括亞洲柿，日本柿，棗柿，美國柿，黑柿，黑肉柿/巧克力布丁果，變色柿，印度柿子/野生柿子/ 天都果/ 騰布拉，得克薩斯柿子。
- 柿子的品種有1000多種，以脫澀與否分為甜柿和澀柿兩大類。澀柿只有在完全成熟和柔軟時才能食用（當苦味化合物的單寧含量降至最低時）。柿子的非澀型(甜柿)可以在未熟時食用，但它仍然很脆。柿子在成熟前通常具有“白堊色”或苦味。
- 柿子可以新鮮吃，曬乾後吃或作為早餐穀物，鬆餅，餡餅，麵包，蛋糕，沙拉和布丁食用。柿子發酵可用於生產柿子醋，俗稱“ gamsikcho”。
- 柿子的葉子可以用來製茶，而焙炒的磨碎的種子可以代替咖啡。
- 在日本，他們會從未熟的柿子中提取單寧釀造清酒。
- 柿子富膳食纖維，維生素A，C和B組維生素以及礦物質（如鉀，錳，銅和磷）的豐富來源。
- 從柿子中分離出來的化合物具有抗炎（預防炎症）和抗感染（預防感染）的特性。
- 雖然柿子樹與烏木樹屬於同一屬，但是柿子樹木材在需要硬木的物體的製造中用途有限。它很硬，但是容易破裂，並且有點難以加工。柿木用於韓國和日本傳統家具的鑲板。
- 在北美，柿木被用於生產某些敲擊樂槌和鼓槌的桿身。在20世紀最後幾年，高爾夫行業要轉移到金屬木桿之前，它還被大量用於製造被稱為“木桿”的高爾夫球桿的最高品質桿頭。
- 壓碎的野生柿子和水製成的溶液可用作天然的自製驅蟲劑。
- 柿子可以在野外生存長達75年。
References 參考資料
- Wikipedia: Persimmon
- 維基百科: 柿
- What is a Persimmon?| Four Variety Comparison
Plants Posts 植物的帖子