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Texas Persimmon

Diospyros texana

Other common name(s):

Mexican Persimmon, Black Persimmon, Chapote, Chapote Prieto

Family:

Ebenaceae (Ebony Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Chihuahuan Deserts, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Southern Texas Plains, Texas Blackland Prairies
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Rio Grande Floodplain and Terraces, Semiarid Edwards Bajada, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

8
to
20
ft.

Spread

4
to
5
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Rocky, Limestone, Alkaline, Shallow

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

Very Low

Native Habitat

Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Fruit, Nectar, Larval Host

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Small Mammals, Bees

Maintenance

Native to shallow, rocky, limestone soils. Prune to fit garden space or to raise canopy if needed for walkways. Refrain from pruning late in winter as blooms form on old wood in spring. Propagation: Seed.

Comments

Blooms February-April. Multi-trunked, slow-growing shrub; smooth, gray bark. Female trees bear fruit in the fall which is eaten by birds, deer, insects and small mammals.. Larval Host: Gray Hairstreak.

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48. 3) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 288. 4) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=DITE3. 5) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Diospyros+texana&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 6) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=9557&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 7) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=23854#null., 8) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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