Texas Persimmon

I went on a short hike this afternoon even though it is quite hot. The current temperature is 101. It's not bad if you're in the shade, but the sun is a killer.

I've been indoors all weekend, working on the Naturescapes contest and the Hays County Master Naturalist newsletter, so I just had to get out.

I've noticed the Texas Persimmons (Diospyros texana) have put out fruit and wondered if they were ripening yet. The mustang grapes are. I'm surprised that these plants produce any fruit at all, given the drought, but there must be enough water for them to do it. The persimmons are shrubs or small trees, usually multi-trunked, about 5 to 15 feet tall. I noticed today that when they grow in the understory of trees they can get quite tall, probably because they're reaching for the light. When they're out in the open, they are more compact.

Here's a typical one, in the shade of some live oaks. It's about 10 feet tall.

They have beautiful, peeling gray - white bark.

The fruit are small berries, about 3/4 inches in diameter. They're green at first, but turn a deep blue, almost black, when ripe. I've eaten them before and they're quite good - very sweet. They are a favorite of birds and mammals. The juice leaves a stain on your fingers and lips for a while.

It's nice to know that even in the middle of this deep drought, the plants keep producing fruit, propagating into the future.