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Photo: Bailey Nurseries.
From:
Lynn Coulter.
Persimmons
Unripe persimmons (Diospyros virginiana) can make your mouth pucker, but let the fruits ripen past the normal ripening stage, or until they almost decay, and they'll become sweeter. Then you can use the fruits, which are high in vitamin C, to make cookies, cakes, puddings and more. American persimmons are usually hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9, while Asian types can thrive in Zones 7 to 11. Fragrant flowers open in spring on trees that mature at 35 to 60 feet in height.