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A Forager’s Year

No. 157

American persimmon

Diospyros virginiana

Nut & seed seeds from ripe fruit (roasted and ground, to stretch coffee)

Drawing: Britton & Brown, Illustrated Flora (1913)

No modern safety review found. No university, government, poison-center or peer-reviewed source on the safety of eating or drinking roasted persimmon seeds was found in searches of extension, poison-control and research sources; NC State lists no poisonous part for the tree.

Find
Common in the right habitat
Effort
Quick kitchen prep
ID risk
Beginner
Origin
native
Uses
  • Coffee substitute

Season

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

in season peak

Picking: The rules are unclear. Ask the park. See Where you may pick.

What these mean

Find

1 Everywhere · 2 Common in the right habitat · 3 Patchy · 4 Elusive. This is about how much there is, not whether you may pick it. It is based on iNaturalist sightings within 25 km (about 15 miles) of downtown DC, counted on October 3, 2026. The four rules that each plant’s “Find” reason refers to: (A) the estimate is the confirmed sightings, plus the unconfirmed ones (scaled down where the plant has lookalikes in its genus), plus the sightings marked as planted; (B) the tier by estimate: 1,500 or more is tier 1, 250–1,499 tier 2, 50–249 tier 3, under 50 tier 4; (C) tier 1, Everywhere, also needs a source saying the plant is common in lawns, sidewalks, yards or gardens, vacant lots or towns, or at least one DC street tree of it per km of sidewalk, otherwise it is tier 2; (D) if a reliable source says the plant is rare in this region, or that wild plants rarely bear the harvest, only planted sightings count. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Effort

1 Grab & eat · 2 Quick kitchen prep (under about 30 minutes) · 3 Real work (hours, or cooking needed for safety) · 4 Project (days or equipment). Scored on the simplest worthwhile use; each plant’s page says why.

ID risk

How hard it is to harvest safely. Beginner: no dangerous lookalike, and the edible part is not easily confused with a toxic part. Careful: a toxic lookalike, or toxic parts that end up in the harvest unless removed (for example elderberry stems, unripe ground cherries), or other parts of the plant rated medium-or-higher toxicity, with reliable features to separate them. Expert only: a potentially deadly lookalike that is hard to separate, or (for not-recommended harvests like pokeweed) a plant whose safe preparation can’t be guaranteed. Toxic parts that are obviously separate and thrown away anyway (pits, seeds, skins) don’t raise it; the Toxic parts mark carries that warning.

Native or not, and the invader stars

Origin is where the plant comes from: native, non-native, or mixed (the harvest covers both). The stars rate plants on invasive plant lists: ★★★ Virginia DCR “High” or Maryland prohibited invasive · ★★ Virginia “Medium” · ★ Virginia “Low” · ☆ listed only by the Maryland Invasive Species Council or the Mid-Atlantic Plant Invaders guide (advisory) · no stars: native or not listed.

Seasons

Start, peak and end are given in thirds of a month: early, mid or late. A plant counts as in season for a month if it is in season at any point in that month. Some greens and roots have a second window, in spring or fall; their page shows each window. A season that runs across New Year is shown as one window.

What it looks like

The flat, brown seeds inside the ripe fruit of American persimmon, about half an inch long; each fruit usually holds one to eight, and some fruits are seedless (USDA Forest Service). The seeds are cleaned of pulp, roasted in a slow oven and ground into a black powder to stretch coffee (Eat The Weeds). The dried, roasted, ground seeds have been used as a substitute for coffee (USDA Forest Service); Confederate soldiers boiled persimmon seeds as a coffee substitute during the Civil War (University of Kentucky).

Safety

No safety source has studied roasted persimmon seeds. NC State lists no poisonous part for American persimmon, and the USDA Forest Service describes the dried, roasted, ground seeds as a coffee substitute and notes that persimmon seeds and fruits are high in tannin. Eat The Weeds advises using the ground seeds only to stretch coffee, not as a full substitute. It reprints a reader’s account of dizziness and vomiting after drinking a large pot of pure seed 'coffee' made from seeds gathered off the ground where the fruit had fallen and rotted, and says it cannot vouch for the account; the same reader had no trouble with an earlier, smaller pot made from seeds of fresh fruit picked off the tree. No safety source confirms or rules out a hazard. Take seeds only from ripe persimmons: orange, soft to the touch and falling from the tree while not rotten (UMD). NC State lists black gum and sourwood as trees often confused with persimmon, and Virginia Tech adds sassafras; NC State lists no poisonous part for black gum or sourwood and names only the bark of sassafras as poisonous (low severity). Black gum’s fruit is a small bluish-black drupe, and sassafras bears bluish-black drupes in a scarlet cup (NC State).

Lookalikes

  • Black gum (blackgum, black tupelo, sour gum) Nyssa sylvatica harmless (may be edible)

    NC State lists black gum among trees often confused with American persimmon. Black gum leaves are elliptic to obovate with blunt points, hairy along the veins, sometimes with a few coarse teeth on sprouts, on a reddish leafstalk 0.5 to 1 inch long; persimmon leaves are broadly oblong and pointed, with a rounded base (NC State). NC State lists no poisonous part for black gum and calls its fruit edible but sour.

  • Sourwood (sorrel tree) Oxydendrum arboreum harmless (may be edible)

    NC State lists sourwood among trees often confused with American persimmon. Sourwood leaves are finely toothed and glossy, reminiscent of a peach or laurel leaf, narrowing to a wedge-shaped base, and taste sour; persimmon leaves have smooth edges or only some teeth and a rounded base (NC State). NC State lists no poisonous part for sourwood and notes that its leaves contain oxalic acid.

  • Sassafras Sassafras albidum harmless (may be edible)

    Virginia Tech’s persimmon factsheet says persimmon looks like blackgum, sourwood and sassafras. Sassafras leaves often come in three shapes on one tree (oval without lobes, mitten-shaped and three-lobed), and all parts of sassafras are aromatic (NC State); persimmon leaves are oblong to oval with an entire margin (Virginia Tech). NC State rates sassafras as poisonous with low severity (safrole, a weak carcinogen in experimental animals) and names the bark, not the leaves, as the poisonous part.

Safety flags

  • Eat in moderation

    not identified (no study of the seeds' chemistry found); the USDA Forest Service notes the seeds are high in tannin: Eat The Weeds advises using the roasted, ground seeds only to stretch coffee, not as a full coffee substitute, after a reader reported dizziness and vomiting from a large pot of pure seed 'coffee'; no safety source confirms the hazard.

Safety marks and flags: what this means

Deadly lookalike / Toxic lookalike: a cited source names a lookalike of that danger, recorded near DC (an iNaturalist sighting within 25 km, a DC street tree, or a Smithsonian listing for DC) and looking like the part you eat. Other lookalikes are still listed, marked “not recorded near DC” or as not looking like the part you eat. Deadly means a source says eating it may be fatal or calls it deadly, or NC State rates it high severity with life-threatening symptoms (sources sometimes disagree; for example Virginia creeper). Each plant’s Lookalikes list says how to tell them apart; “harmless (may be edible)” lookalikes are listed so you know a mix-up isn’t dangerous. Cook first: cooking is needed for safety (for daylilies it is a precaution, not a sourced requirement). Eat in moderation: a source says to limit quantity or frequency (for example oxalates in sorrels and dock, ginkgotoxin, safrole). Spray risk: a source says the plant is commonly treated with herbicide in parks or lawns (invasive control, lawn weeds) or, for ginkgo, sprayed to stop fruiting. Contamination: a source says the plant concentrates pollutants. Each plant’s Safety flags list gives the details and sources.

ID risk
Beginner
Why
No toxic lookalike is named. NC State lists black gum and sourwood as often confused with persimmon, and Virginia Tech adds sassafras; NC State lists no poisonous part for black gum or sourwood and names only the bark of sassafras as poisonous (low severity), and none of them bears an orange persimmon fruit. Take seeds only from ripe fruit: orange, soft and falling from the tree while not rotten (UMD).
Soil risk
low
ID risk: what this means

How hard it is to harvest safely. Beginner: no dangerous lookalike, and the edible part is not easily confused with a toxic part. Careful: a toxic lookalike, or toxic parts that end up in the harvest unless removed (for example elderberry stems, unripe ground cherries), or other parts of the plant rated medium-or-higher toxicity, with reliable features to separate them. Expert only: a potentially deadly lookalike that is hard to separate, or (for not-recommended harvests like pokeweed) a plant whose safe preparation can’t be guaranteed. Toxic parts that are obviously separate and thrown away anyway (pits, seeds, skins) don’t raise it; the Toxic parts mark carries that warning.

Soil risk: what this means

Based on the part you eat, following the urban-soil lead guidance on the Field safety page: higher for greens, shoots and roots; moderate for flowers; low for fruit, nuts and sap.

Field safety for every outing (poison ivy, ticks, soil, and more)

When to pick

Starts
late Sep
Peak
mid Oct–mid Nov
Ends
mid Jan

The seeds come from ripe fruit, so they follow the fruit season. NC State lists fruit from September through December, the USDA Forest Service says it ripens from September to November or occasionally a little earlier, and Maryland DNR says persimmons ripen in late fall in Maryland. Fruit often stays on the tree after the leaves fall and is not harmed by freezing (University of Missouri Extension), and fruits fall from September to late winter (USDA Forest Service), so a few can still be found into January. Collect the seeds when you press ripe pulp for pudding or bread.

How the dates were worked out

Every start, peak and end was re-checked in October 2026. “Sourced” means a source opened during the check states that timing for the DC or Mid-Atlantic area. “Estimated” means no source states it exactly; the reason, the evidence and the source links are under “How the dates were worked out” on each plant’s page. Peaks are often estimated, because few sources name a peak. iNaturalist evidence means research-grade sightings near DC, by month, of the plant at that stage (for example, in fruit). iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Season basis: estimated: start, peak, end

Start

estimated: Sources give September as the earliest month but Maryland DNR stresses late fall; late Sep marks the first early-ripening trees, not the norm. iNaturalist fruiting records (from June) include unripe orange fruit and cannot show ripeness.

Peak

estimated: No source gives a peak date; mid Oct to mid Nov combines 'mid to late fall' with the iNaturalist curve, which runs earlier because it includes unripe fruit.

End

estimated: NC State’s display window ends in December, but several sources describe fruit hanging into winter and still edible; mid Jan is where regional iNaturalist fruiting records drop off.

Evidence

start: NC State: fruit 'displays from September to December'. USDA Forest Service Silvics: fruit 'ripens from September to November or occasionally a little earlier'. Maryland DNR: persimmons 'ripen in late fall in Maryland'. | peak: Maryland DNR: ripen 'in late fall'. Virginia Tech dendrology: 'matures in mid to late fall'. iNaturalist DC fruiting records are highest in weeks 36-42 (Sep 3-Oct 21: 22, 20, 25, 22, 13, 19, 18) and still 7-8/week into early Nov. | end: NC State: displays September to December, 'Fall, Winter'; fruit 'can stay on the tree after the leaves have fallen, unaffected by freezing temperatures'. University of Missouri Extension: fruit 'often remain on a tree after its leaves have fallen. Unaffected by freezing temperatures'. Silvics: 'Fruits fall from September to late winter'. UMD Extension: ripe fruit survives frost and slowly dries and sweetens. iNaturalist DC fruiting: Dec 5, Jan 3, Feb 2; MD/VA/DC: Dec 27, Jan 15, Feb 5.

Where to look

The same trees as the fruit, in old fields and sunny edges; the most-logged trees are on the C&O towpath, which is ambiguous for persimmon seeds (not on its limits list; ask the park), and in Barcroft Park on Four Mile Run and at Huntley Meadows, which are look-only. Virginia state parks are ambiguous too (ask the park); otherwise collect seeds from private trees with the owner’s permission.

Habitats
old fields & meadows, woods edges, trailsides & thickets
Habitats: what this means

Listed where the plant’s own sources place it in that habitat. “Disturbed ground & waste places” means a cited source places it on disturbed areas, sites, soil or ground, on waste places or waste ground, on construction or abandoned building sites (old home sites count), on rubble or in strip mines. When the source gives examples of the disturbed places, at least one example must be of that kind. Examples that do not count: natural or forestry disturbance (treefall gaps, fire, windthrow, flood scour, old riverbanks and creeks, clear-cuts); roadsides, railroads and rights-of-way; and abandoned fields, pastures and farmland, which are “Old fields & meadows”. “Vacant lots” only where a source says vacant or empty lots.

Most-logged places

None of the most-logged places allows picking.

Ask first: rules unclear or not checked

  • C&O Canal NHP (towpath, Georgetown to Great Falls MD and beyond)

    74 sightings · Legal to pick: ambiguous · see them on iNaturalist

    Ambiguous: the C&O compendium allows edible fruits, nuts and berries generally but sets no limit for this one; ask the park first. Of these, 8 are at Carderock.

No picking here (4 places)
  • Barcroft Park

    50 sightings · Legal to pick: no · see them on iNaturalist

    Look but don’t pick: Arlington County park rules say flora shall not be removed or disturbed.

  • Huntley Meadows Park

    48 sightings · Legal to pick: no · see them on iNaturalist

    Look but don’t pick: Fairfax County parks ban removing any plant part without written permission.

  • Lake Artemesia Natural Area

    31 sightings · Legal to pick: no · see them on iNaturalist

    Look but don’t pick: Montgomery/Prince George’s parks (M-NCPPC) ban harvesting vegetation without a permit.

  • Rock Creek Park

    30 sightings · Legal to pick: no · see them on iNaturalist

    Look but don’t pick: Rock Creek Park’s compendium bans gathering any fruit, nut, berry, seed or greenery.

Most-logged places: what this means

The places with the most research-grade iNaturalist sightings within 25 km of downtown DC (re-counted in October 2026 over every named place, campuses, condominiums and private grounds included), each marked legal to pick or not. A sighting inside several named places counts once, for the smallest of them, but a sighting inside a National Park Service park never counts for a private, campus or unchecked place. iNaturalist shows where people walk and log plants, not true abundance. Private campuses, condominiums, museums, estates and utility land (Pepco’s power-line land near Sligo Creek) are marked “no” (pick only with the owner’s permission); public university campuses, city parks and other places whose picking rules were not checked (county stormwater land, the U.S. Capitol Grounds, Greenbelt’s North Woods, federal facilities such as the National Zoo) are “unknown”. A place needs at least 2 sightings, so plants with very few sightings have no places. At-risk plants (butternut, nannyberry, American chestnut, ramps, riverbank goldenrod) get places like every other plant; each page says why the plant is at risk and gives any advice its sources give. For some places, mostly Rock Creek Park, the iNaturalist map shows more sightings than the count here, because a map link cannot leave out exactly the sightings credited to another place. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Ways to use it

  • coffee extender: clean the seeds, roast them in a slow oven, grind them into a black powder and mix it with coffee to stretch it, not as a full coffee substitute (Eat The Weeds)
  • harvest the seeds left over from pressing ripe persimmon pulp through a colander for pudding and bread

Keeping

Clean them out of the ripe fruit within a few days, roast and grind them, and keep the powder airtight for up to a year.

Use within
within a few days
Keeps fresh
Clean the seeds out when you press the ripe fruit, which keeps only 1-2 days once fully ripe (Purdue), then roast them. Roasted, ground seeds keep like other dried foods: in airtight containers in a cool, dry, dark place for 4 months to 1 year (general guidance for dried foods, NCHFP).
Keeping basis
general guidance for its type

Ways to keep it

  • Dry as researched: roast & store; canning: n/a (not shelf-canned)

    Eat The Weeds: clean the seeds and roast them in a slow oven, then grind them into a black powder. Cool completely and store airtight in a cool, dry, dark place; NCHFP gives 4 months to 1 year for dried foods (general guidance for dried foods).

Canning: what this means

Shelf-stable canning, three levels. Lab-tested: a lab-tested recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) or Oregon State covers this fruit and product, or a generic recipe for its kind (the line says so, for example chokeberry). Extension recipe: a published Extension recipe (University of Alaska Fairbanks, written for Alaska species; University of Maine’s dandelion jelly), or a process that is safe only with a pH meter; follow it exactly, never improvise. No tested recipe: refrigerate or freeze, don’t can. “Hot-bottled syrup” = maple and walnut syrup, which keep when bottled hot at full syrup density. The Canning line names the exact product each source covers, for example “whole berries” or “juice”; a product not named there (such as juice from a berry with only a whole-berry recipe) has no tested recipe.

Keeping basis: what this means

“Specific to this plant” or “general guidance for its type” (for example NCHFP guidance for leafy greens applied to a wild green).

Nutrition

Not researched: in October 2026, only the calendar’s plants of the month and chicory leaves were researched.

Native or not

Origin
native
Native range
eastern & south-central United States
Virginia invasive rank
not listed
Maryland invasive status
not listed
Native or not, and the invader stars: what this means

Origin is where the plant comes from: native, non-native, or mixed (the harvest covers both). The stars rate plants on invasive plant lists: ★★★ Virginia DCR “High” or Maryland prohibited invasive · ★★ Virginia “Medium” · ★ Virginia “Low” · ☆ listed only by the Maryland Invasive Species Council or the Mid-Atlantic Plant Invaders guide (advisory) · no stars: native or not listed.

Virginia DCR, Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective September 2024), verbatim: "Under the DCR Invasive Species Assessment Protocol, approved by the Virginia Invasive Species Working Group, January 2024, species were ranked as exhibiting high, medium or low levels of invasiveness based on their threat to natural communities and native species. Invasiveness rank is higher for species that: • Alter ecosystem processes, such as succession, hydrology or fire regime. • Are capable of invading undisturbed natural communities. • Cause substantial impacts on rare or vulnerable species or natural communities or high-quality examples of more common communities. • Are found widely distributed and generally abundant where present. • Disperse readily to new areas. • Are difficult to control." The list also states: "The list is for educational purposes only and has no regulatory authority."

Maryland Department of Agriculture, Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations page, verbatim: "Plants on the Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List may not be added to stock after the effective date and should not be sold after their phase-out period ends."

No official DC invasive plant list was found.

How the ratings were set

Find
Common in the right habitat Estimate 1,550 = 1,192 research-grade iNaturalist sightings within 25 km + 258 needs-ID sightings counted in full (American persimmon is the only Diospyros with research-grade sightings here) + 100 'cultivated' (planted) sightings (rule A); that is tier 1 by count (rule B). Rule C: none of its sources says it is common in, or a weed of, an everyday place (lawns, sidewalks, yards or gardens, vacant lots, towns), and DC’s street-tree inventory lists 198 living American persimmons, under the line of one per km of DC sidewalk (2,406), so it cannot be tier 1 (Everywhere). Final tier 2.
Effort
Quick kitchen prep Rinse the pulp off the seeds left from pressing ripe fruit, roast them in a slow oven and grind them (Eat The Weeds); about 30 minutes of active work.
Find: what this means

1 Everywhere · 2 Common in the right habitat · 3 Patchy · 4 Elusive. This is about how much there is, not whether you may pick it. It is based on iNaturalist sightings within 25 km (about 15 miles) of downtown DC, counted on October 3, 2026. The four rules that each plant’s “Find” reason refers to: (A) the estimate is the confirmed sightings, plus the unconfirmed ones (scaled down where the plant has lookalikes in its genus), plus the sightings marked as planted; (B) the tier by estimate: 1,500 or more is tier 1, 250–1,499 tier 2, 50–249 tier 3, under 50 tier 4; (C) tier 1, Everywhere, also needs a source saying the plant is common in lawns, sidewalks, yards or gardens, vacant lots or towns, or at least one DC street tree of it per km of sidewalk, otherwise it is tier 2; (D) if a reliable source says the plant is rare in this region, or that wild plants rarely bear the harvest, only planted sightings count. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Effort: what this means

1 Grab & eat · 2 Quick kitchen prep (under about 30 minutes) · 3 Real work (hours, or cooking needed for safety) · 4 Project (days or equipment). Scored on the simplest worthwhile use; each plant’s page says why.

Sources

30 sources, each linked to the original.

  1. C&O Canal NHP Superintendent’s Compendium National Park ServiceBacks up: picking rules
  2. Prince William Forest Park Superintendent’s Compendium National Park Service, Prince William Forest ParkBacks up: picking rules
  3. 4VAC5-30-50. Flowers, plants, minerals, etc. Virginia Law Library (law.lis.virginia.gov)Backs up: picking rules
  4. Rock Creek Park Superintendent’s Compendium National Park ServiceBacks up: picking rules
  5. Diospyros virginiana (Common Persimmon) University of Kentucky Department of Horticulture (funded by the Kentucky Division of Forestry)Backs up: description, habitat
  6. Persimmon Provisions (Green Deane) Eat The WeedsBacks up: description, uses, safety, storage, keeping, safety details
  7. iNaturalist research-grade observations of Diospyros virginiana within 25 km of downtown DC iNaturalistBacks up: findability
  8. Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Washington-Baltimore Area, Part I (Shetler & Orli, 2000) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of BotanyBacks up: habitat
  9. DC street-tree inventory (DDOT Urban Forestry, UFA Street Trees layer): living trees by species, queried 2026-10-05 (198 living American persimmons) District of Columbia (DDOT Urban Forestry Division, via DC GIS)Backs up: habitat, findability
  10. Persimmon (FoodLink produce sheet) Purdue Extension FoodLinkBacks up: keeping
  11. USDA PLANTS Database: Diospyros virginiana (DIVI5), native status USDA NRCSBacks up: native or invasive status
  12. Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective date: September 2024) Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural HeritageBacks up: native or invasive status
  13. Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations (Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List, updated January 2026; additions effective July 15, 2026; 'Next Plants To Be Assessed' 2026-2027) Maryland Department of Agriculture, Plant Protection & Weed ManagementBacks up: native or invasive status
  14. Non-Native Invasive Terrestrial Plant Species in the State of Maryland (updates approved through the April 18, 2024 MISC meeting) Maryland Invasive Species CouncilBacks up: native or invasive status
  15. Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas, Field Guide (Swearingen & Fulton, 2022; successor to the NPS/USFWS 5th ed., 2017) Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council / Passiflora Press (hosted by Bugwood/Mid-Atlantic Invaders Tool)Backs up: native or invasive status
  16. Invasive Plants in the District DC Department of Energy & EnvironmentBacks up: native or invasive status
  17. Introducing the King of Fall Fruits: Persimmons University of Maryland Extension (Maryland Grows)Backs up: safety
  18. Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Capacity of American Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana L.) Teas (Kobayashi, Antonious and Pomper; Journal of the American Pomological Society 71(2), 2017) Kentucky State University (Journal of the American Pomological Society)Backs up: safety details
  19. Nyssa sylvatica (Black Gum) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety, safety details
  20. Oxydendrum arboreum (Sourwood) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety, safety details
  21. Sassafras albidum (Sassafras) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety, safety details
  22. Native Plant Profile: Favored Fruit Trees Maryland Department of Natural ResourcesBacks up: season
  23. Pucker up for persimmon, the first-frost fruit University of Missouri ExtensionBacks up: season
  24. American persimmon research-grade observations within 25 km of DC, by month (fruiting annotation) iNaturalistBacks up: season
  25. iNaturalist week-of-year histogram of research-grade American persimmon observations annotated fruiting within 25 km of downtown DC iNaturalistBacks up: season
  26. Diospyros virginiana (American Persimmon) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: season, description, habitat, safety, picking rules
  27. Silvics of North America: Common persimmon USDA Forest ServiceBacks up: season, description, uses, habitat, safety, safety details
  28. Common persimmon factsheet Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources (Dendrology)Backs up: season, safety, safety details
  29. Packaging and Storing Dried Foods National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia)Backs up: storage, keeping
  30. Diospyros virginiana (Illinois Plants database) Illinois Natural History Survey, University of IllinoisBacks up: uses, safety details