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Step 1
Find a persimmon tree. The native persimmon grows wild in the eastern part of the United States. It will grow in most types of soil but prefers areas that are somewhat moist and swampy.
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Step 2
Locate the small flowers on a persimmon tree. The trees bloom in late spring. The flowers have four yellow petals attached to a green base known as a calyx. On the female persimmon tree, the calyx will stay on the end of the persimmon fruit.
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Step 3
Identify the male persimmon tree by seeing if it has clusters of yellow flowers. The female trees have only one bloom at the end of very short stems, called a pistillate flower. The male flowers, called staminate flowers, grow in clusters of as many as four or five.
How to Identify Male Persimmon Trees
The persimmon tree is a slow-growing hardwood bearing an orange-colored fruit that is sweet when ripe. Like many other types of hardwood trees, the persimmon is dioecious, a botanical term that means there are separate male and female trees. The male trees create flowers with pollen that fertilizes the flowers on the female trees and produces the persimmon fruit.The male flowers are the key to telling the difference between the persimmon sexes.
Instructions
Tips & Warnings
- Only the female persimmon tree will bear the fruit, which is often called the possum apple.
