American Persimmon

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
American Persimmon grows through 20 m (66 ft), in well-drained soil. In summer, this species produces fragrant flowers which are dioecious, so one must have both male and female plants to obtain fruit. Most cultivars are parthenocarpic (setting seedless fruit without pollination). The flowers are pollinated by insects and wind. Fruiting typically begins when the tree is about 6 yr old.
The fruit is round or oval and usually orange-yellow and sometimes bluish and from 2 through 6 cm (0.79 through 2.4 in) in diameter.
Fruits are used to treat uterine haemorrhages, sore throat, dysentery and diarrhoea. For kidney stones, powdered seeds mixed with water and strained through a cloth are used as drink. A tea prepared from roots is used to treat dysentery. An extract of the leaves was found to be tumorogenic.