''Diospyros lotus'', with common names date-plum, Caucasian persimmon, or lilac persimmon, is a widely cultivated species of the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

Diospyros ''Diospyros'' is a genus of over 700 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. Individual species valued for their hard, heavy, dark timb ...

'', native to temperate Asia and southeast Europe. Its English name derives from the small fruit, which have a taste reminiscent of both

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in Prunus subg. Prunus, ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are often called prunes, though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century. Plums are ...

s and dates. It is among the oldest plants in cultivation.

Distribution and ecology

The species area extends from East Asia to the west of the Mediterranean, down to Spain. The date-plum is native to southwest Asia and southeast Europe. It was known to the ancient

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

as "God's fruit" (, ), hence the scientific name of the genus. Its English name probably derives from

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

''Khormaloo'' خرمالو literally "date-plum", referring to the taste of this fruit which is reminiscent of both

s and dates. The fruit is called ''Amlok'' املوک in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

and consumed dried. This species is one candidate for the "

lotus tree The lotus tree (, ''lōtós'') is a plant that is referred to in stories from Greek and Roman mythology. The lotus tree is mentioned in Homer's '' Odyssey'' as bearing a fruit that caused a pleasant drowsiness, and which was said to be the only f ...

" mentioned in ''

The Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

'': it was so delicious that those who ate it forgot about returning home and wanted to stay and eat lotus with the

lotus-eaters In Greek mythology, lotophages or the lotus-eaters () were a race of people living on an island dominated by the lotus tree off coastal Tunisia (Island of Djerba), a plant whose botanical identity is uncertain. The Lotophagi race in the ''Odyss ...

. The tree grows in the lower and middle mountain zones in the Caucasus. They usually grow up to above sea level. In Central Asia, it rises higher—up to . They rarely grow in stands but often grow with hackberry, ash,

maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

and other

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

species. It is not demanding on the soil and can grow on rocky slopes but requires a well lit environment. It is cultivated at the limits of its range, as well as in the U.S. and North Africa.

Biological description

This is a tree of height with sloughing of aging bark. The tree will commonly stop growing at , it grows slowly and will spread in a horizontal direction as it matures. The leaves are shiny, leathery, oval-shaped with pointed ends, long and in width. The flowers are small, greenish, appearing in June to July. The plant is

dioecious Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...

, and so obviously not

self-fertile Self-incompatibility (SI) is a general name for several genetic mechanisms that prevent self-fertilization in sexual reproduction, sexually reproducing organisms, and thus encourage outcrossing and allogamy. It is contrasted with separation of sexe ...

. Fruits are berries with juicy flesh, yellow when ripe, in diameter. Seeds with thin skin and a very hard

endosperm The endosperm is a tissue produced inside the seeds of most of the flowering plants following double fertilization. It is triploid (meaning three chromosome sets per nucleus) in most species, which may be auxin-driven. It surrounds the Embryo#Pla ...

. Fruits ripen Oct. to Nov. File:Diospyros_lotus_02.jpg, Fruit File:K%C3%BC%C3%A7%C3%BCk_meyveli_Trabzon_hurmas%C4%B1.JPG, Leaves File:Diospyros_lotus1.jpg, Trunk

Usage

Caucasian persimmon fruits are edible and contain much sugar,

malic acid Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms ( ...

, and vitamins. They are used as fresh fruits or after frost, but usually dried. Drying and frost destroy their tartness.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q771101 lotus Edible fruits Trees of Europe Flora of temperate Asia Plants described in 1753