Date-plum

Date-plum
Branches with fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ebenaceae
Genus: Diospyros
Species:
D. lotus
Binomial name
Diospyros lotus
Synonyms
11 Synonyms
  • Dactylus trapezuntinus Forssk. (1775)
  • Diospyros calycina Dippel (1889)
  • D. lotus var. angustifolia Gaudin (1830)
  • D. lotus f. ellipsoidea Makino (1912)
  • D. lotus f. globosa Makino (1912)
  • D. lotus var. laevis H.Ohba & S.Akiyama (2016)
  • D. lotus f. longifolia Zhang (1983)
  • D. lotus var. mollissima C.Y.Wu (1965)
  • D. lotus f. ovoidea Makino (1912)
  • D. mediterranea Oken (1841)
  • D. umlovok Griff. (1848)

Diospyros lotus, with common names date-plum, Caucasian persimmon, or lilac persimmon, is a widely cultivated species of the genus Diospyros, native to temperate Asia and southeast Europe. Its English name derives from the small fruit, which have a taste reminiscent of both plums and dates. It is among the oldest plants in cultivation.