Diospyros is a genus that includes over 700 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. Most of these species are native to tropical regions, though a few extend into temperate climates. Some species are prized for their hard, dark, and heavy wood—commonly known as ebony—while others are cultivated for their delicious fruit: the persimmon. This post is all about the fruit. I first discovered persimmons in June 2020, though at the time, I wasn’t exactly sure what they were. Since then, every time I come across a plant that looks similar, I take pictures and keep checking until the fruit changes color and I can confirm they are persimmons. At the supermarket, I usually buy the flat-bottomed variety. These are known for their crisp texture and mild, sweet flavor—they’re not astringent, which makes them easy to enjoy right away. The heart-shaped variety, on the other hand, can be extremely astringent if eaten before it's fully ripe. That astringency can be quite unpleasant! When ripe, though, the heart-shaped persimmons are soft, sweet, and delicious. Still, I tend to stick with the flat-bottomed ones to avoid any surprises.
柿樹屬（Diospyros）包含超過 700 多種落葉和常綠喬木及灌木。這些物種大多原產於熱帶地區，但也有一些延伸到溫帶地區。有些物種因其堅硬、深色且厚重的木材（俗稱烏木）而備受珍視，而另一些物種則因其美味的果實——柿子——而被廣泛栽培。這篇文章是專注在它的果實 - 柿子。我第一次發現柿子是在 2020 年 6 月，儘管當時我並不確定它們到底是什麼。從那時起，每當我遇到長得類似的植物，我都會拍照並不斷觀察，直到果實變色，我才能確認它們是柿子。在超市，我通常會買平底品種。這種品種比較脆且有淡淡的甜美味道而且它們不澀，能立即享用。而雞心形品種如果在完全成熟之前食用，則會非常澀，那種澀味可真讓人受不了！不過，心形的柿子熟了之後，軟糯甜，美味可口。不過，我還是傾向選擇平底的，以免踩雷。
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
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