The persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros. The most widely cultivated of these is the kaki persimmon, Diospyros kaki – Diospyros is in the family Ebenaceae, and a number of non-persimmon species of the genus are grown for ebony timber. In 2019, China produced 75% of the world total of persimmons.
The Ebenaceae are a family of flowering plants belonging to order Ericales. The family includes ebony and persimmon among about 768 species of trees and shrubs. It is distributed across the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world. It is most diverse in the rainforests of Malesia, India, Thailand, tropical Africa and tropical America.
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 timber, are commonly known as ebony trees, while others are valued for their fruit and known as persimmon trees. Some are useful as ornamentals and many are of local ecological importance. Species of this genus are generally dioecious, with separate male and female plants.
Diospyros virginiana is a persimmon species commonly called the American persimmon, common persimmon, eastern persimmon, simmon, possumwood, possum apples, or sugar plum. It ranges from southern Connecticut to Florida, and west to Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa. The tree grows wild but has been cultivated for its fruit and wood since prehistoric times by Native Americans.
The Hawaiian tropical rainforests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. They cover an area of 6,700 km2 (2,600 sq mi) in the windward lowlands and montane regions of the islands. Coastal mesic forests are found at elevations from sea level to 300 m (980 ft). Mixed mesic forests occur at elevations of 750 to 1,250 m, while wet forests are found from 1,250 to 1,700 m. Moist bogs and shrublands exist on montane plateaus and depressions. For the 28 million years of existence of the Hawaiian Islands, they have been isolated from the rest of the world by vast stretches of the Pacific Ocean, and this isolation has resulted in the evolution of an incredible diversity of endemic species, including fungi, mosses, snails, birds, and other wildlife. In the lush, moist forests high in the mountains, trees are draped with vines, orchids, ferns, and mosses. This ecoregion includes one of the world's wettest places, the slopes of Mount Waiʻaleʻale, which average 373 in (9,500 mm) of rainfall per year.
A lama is a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma.
Diospyros melanoxylon, the Coromandel ebony or East Indian ebony, is a species of flowering tree in the family Ebenaceae native to India and Sri Lanka; it has a hard, dry bark. Its common name derives from Coromandel, the coast of southeastern India. Locally it is known as temburini or by its Hindi name tendu. In Odisha, Jharkhand, and Assam, it is known as kendu. In Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana it is known as tuniki. The leaves can be wrapped around tobacco to create the Indian beedi, which has outsold conventional cigarettes in India. The olive-green fruit of the tree is edible.
Diospyros kaki, the Oriental persimmon, Chinese persimmon, Japanese persimmon or kaki persimmon, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Diospyros. Although its first botanical description was not published until 1780, D. kaki cultivation in China dates back more than 2000 years.
Diospyros blancoi,, commonly known as velvet apple, velvet persimmon, kamagong, or mabolo tree, is a tree of the genus Diospyros of ebony trees and persimmons. It produces edible fruit with a fine, velvety, reddish-brown fur-like covering. The fruit has a soft, creamy, pink flesh, with a taste and aroma comparable to peaches.
Abutilon sandwicense, commonly known as the greenflower Indian mallow, is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that is endemic to the island of Oʻahu, Hawaii, in the United States. It inhabits dry forests on the slopes of the Waiʻanae Range at elevations of 400–600 m (1,300–2,000 ft). Associated plants include lama, ēlama, māmaki, kalia, āulu, olopua, and alaheʻe. Greenflower Indian mallow is a shrub, reaching a height of 1.5–3 m (4.9–9.8 ft). It is threatened by habitat loss.
Euphorbia haeleeleana, the Kauaʻi spurge, is a species of flowering plant in the croton family, Euphorbiaceae, that is endemic to the islands of Kauaʻi and Oaʻhu in Hawaii. Like other Hawaiian spurges it is known as `akoko.
Urera kaalae, opuhe, is a species of flowering plant in the nettle family, Urticaceae, that is endemic to the island of Oʻahu in Hawaii. It inhabits slopes and gulches in mesic forests at elevations of 300–760 m (980–2,490 ft). Currently it is restricted to the southern and central parts of the Waiʻanae Mountains. Associated plants include maile, hame, Asplenium kaulfusii, Athyrium spp., ʻāwikiwiki, pāpala, ʻakoko, poʻolā, ēlama, Doryopteris spp., ʻieʻi.e., manono, Hibiscus spp., olopua, māmaki, hala pepe, ʻālaʻa, kōpiko, heuhiuhi, aʻiaʻi, ōpuhe, and maua. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Kapālama, now often called Pālama, is a neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. It is often combined with the adjacent Kalihi and referred to as a single entity, Kalihi–Pālama.
Hawaiian tropical dry forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. They cover an area of 6,600 km2 (2,500 sq mi) on the leeward side of the main islands and the summits of Niʻihau and Kahoʻolawe. These forests are either seasonal or sclerophyllous. Annual rainfall is less than 127 cm (50 in) and may be as low as 25 cm (9.8 in). The rainy season there lasts from November to March.
Wilhelm or William Hillebrand was a German physician. He practiced medicine in several different countries, including for over 20 years in the Hawaiian Islands. In 1850, Hillebrand lived at what is now Foster Botanical Garden in Honolulu and gained acknowledgement as a botanist.
Diospyros sandwicensis is a species of flowering tree in the ebony family, Ebenaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It belongs to the same genus as both persimmons and ebony. Its common name, lama, also means enlightenment in Hawaiian. Lama is a small to medium-sized tree, with a height of 6–12 m (20–39 ft) and a trunk diameter of 0.3 m (0.98 ft). It can be found in dry, coastal mesic, mixed mesic, and wet forests at elevations of 5–1,220 m (16–4,003 ft) on all major islands. Lama and olopua are dominant species in lowland dry forests on the islands of Maui, Molokaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, and Lānaʻi.
Diospyros hillebrandii, is a species of flowering tree in the ebony family, Ebenaceae, that is endemic to the islands of Oʻahu and Kauaʻi in Hawaii. Its common name, Ēlama, also means torch or lamp in Hawaiian. Ēlama is a small to medium-sized tree, reaching a height of 4–10 m (13–33 ft). It can be found in coastal mesic and mixed mesic forests at elevations of 150–760 m (490–2,490 ft).
Hypocala deflorata is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1794. It is widespread from India, Sri Lanka to Africa and to Australia and many Pacific islands. Records include China, Borneo, Queensland, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Rotuma, Fiji, Samoa, Hawaii, Norfolk Island and New Zealand.
Delissea subcordata is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Campanulaceae known by the common names Koʻolau Range delissea and oha. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Oahu. It is now only found in the Waianae Mountains, and it is believed to be extirpated from the Koʻolau Range, where it once occurred. As of 2008 there were 40 individuals remaining, 28 of which were mature plants. This plant was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1996.
Diospyros ferrea, known as black ebony, is a tree in the ebony family, distributed in Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malay Peninsula, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos (Khammouan) and Taiwan.
