(Diospyros virginiana) We get alot of these popping up in pasture and I'm wondering if they are safe to feed?
American Persimmon
- Thread starter alforddm
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Oooo send me some persimmon trees. I'm not sure I can come up with an answer to this one. This says the persimmon is the largest berry and plants with edible berries are usually safe. It also says the leaves are safe to eat and the seeds can be ground with coffee beans. http://www.eattheweeds.com/persimmons-p ... r-power-2/
On the other hand it does seem there might be a tannin concern and a wood working site mentions occasional reactions to contact with the wood. Most things are suggested to be dried for use whether eating the leaves and seeds or in the finished product of wood items. I'd probably toss it to my guinea pigs and see what they eat. They are very good at determining safe from unsafe and even the quantity to eat.
On the other hand it does seem there might be a tannin concern and a wood working site mentions occasional reactions to contact with the wood. Most things are suggested to be dried for use whether eating the leaves and seeds or in the finished product of wood items. I'd probably toss it to my guinea pigs and see what they eat. They are very good at determining safe from unsafe and even the quantity to eat.
I did throw a small branch into a small grow out pen. They ate it with no ill effect that I could see. I can find no information at all about edibility besides it being a deer forage.
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/tre ... simmon.htm
I could possibly send you some seeds?
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/tre ... simmon.htm
I could possibly send you some seeds?
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We did have a thread on this once. I haven't read the links, but maybe it'll be helpful: common-persimmon-t18876.html
I did read through that thread yesterday. That ended up being Texas Persimmon Diospyros texana Scheele. I wasn't sure if it was in the same forage class or not.
I'm not very good at growing things from seed but persimmons look really hardy. Especially to transplanting. There are vids and instructions of people just pulling them out of one pot, knocking the dirt off, and planting them at a somewhat random depth in the next size up of pot. It might be worth a try if I can find somewhere to fit one. I'm not sure how close I can plant to the ash tree that takes over the top of the yard.
I'll keep an eye out for some fruit then this fall. These are wild persimmon though not near as large as the cultivated varieties.
From what I read most of the persimmons sold in stores are from Asian species so nothing native to the US would produce the same persimmons anyway. Plus the cultivars seem mostly only hardy to zone 6 while american persimmon is hardy to zone 4. We got moved from zone 4 to zone 5 recently.
Might want to remind me come September to keep a look out. I'm not the best person in the world about remembering things. 
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