Wild native persimmons are one of the very best trees for attracting deer and wildlife. This native tree is adaptable to many climates, and has a natural immunity to disease and insects. The American persimmon thrives in a wide variety of conditions, from wet or sandy soils, to lowlands or uplands.
Deer actively seek out persimmon trees, eating every fruit that is within reach or as soon as they hit the ground. Leaves and twigs are also eaten by deer in the fall and winter, and the fruit is eaten by other wildlife like squirrel, fox, bear, coyote, raccoon, opossum, and various birds, including quail, wild turkey, cedar waxwing, and catbird.
The fruit has a rich, nutty, amaretto flavor, but is astringent until completely ripe. If you’ve never tried unripe persimmon, we don’t recommend it, we can tell you; it’ll suck the wax right out of your ears! Unripe fruit is not all bad because this unripe fruit and bark are said to have been used to treat fever and diarrhea. The ripe fruit is used in traditional recipes for jam, cookies, cakes, custards, and the dried roasted seed have been used as a substitute for coffee. It has a black corrugated bark that looks like alligator hide, and its foliage is orange-red in the fall. The nectar from flowers provide a significant food resource for pollinator species like bees. This native species is a quintessential part of any food plot.