Date Plum

(Diospyros lotus) From the Greek this translates to “Food of the gods”. This is thought to be the species for the lotus mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey. It was so delicious that those who ate it forgot about returning home and wanted to stay and eat lotus with the lotus eaters. They can be eaten fresh or dried and eaten like dates. They have a flavor reminiscent of dates with a hint of plum and thus the common name. Related to the persimmons, they are also astringent until ripe but after a few frosts they are harvested and allowed to ripen off the tree. A native of China, Japan and the Himalayas, the date plum makes a fine, tropical appearing shade or lawn tree also. The fruits are small, about the size of very big cherries, and orange in color. This tree has also been used as understock for other persimmons to impart greater hardiness and is dioecious (separate male and female). This means you will need to get a few to set fruit reliably. These are inexpensive seedlings about 18” in height and have no known pest or disease issues here. 18” – 24” seedlings