Common Name: Date Plum

General Information

Diospyros lotus is a deciduous tree that can grow up to 30metres tall. The trunk can be up to 130cm in diameter[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.
Diospyros lotus is a widespread species with a large extent of occurrence. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2007)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Asia - Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran, Tadzhikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan , northern India, Nepal, China, Korea

Habitat

Mixed mountain forests; at elevations up to 1,500 metres in China[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	9.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a good deep loamy soil in sun or light shade[]. When being grown for its fruit, the tree should be given a warm, sheltered, sunny position[]. It dislikes very acid or wet and poorly drained soils[].
Dormant plants are very cold-hardy, but the young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun[].
Dioecious, but the female tree can produce seedless fruits in the absence of a pollinator[]. It is likely that unfertilized fruits are more astringent than fertilized fruits since this is the case with Diospyros kaki[].
Plants have a long tap root and are difficult to transplant[], it is best to plant them out in their permanent position as soon as possible and to give protection overwinter for the first year or two[].
This species is sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit in Italy and E. Asia, there are some named varieties[, ].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw, cooked or brewed into wine and vinegar[, , ]. A sweet flavour[]. The fruit has an exquisitely rich flavour when it is fully ripe (almost at the point of going bad), but it is very harsh and astringent before then[]. The fruit may not ripen properly in a cool summer, though if it is frosted it normally develops a very good flavour[]. The fruit can be dried, when it acquires a date-like flavour[, ]. The fruit can also be harvested in the autumn, preferably after a frost, and bletted[]. (This is a process where the fruit is kept in a cool place and only eaten when it is very soft and almost at the point of going rotten). The fruit of trees in a fairly sunny position at Kew ripens on the tree in most years and produces fertile seed[]. The fruit contains about 1.9% protein, 0.2% fat, 47.7% carbohydrate, 1% ash[]. Fruits are about the size of a large cherry, they turn from yellow to blue-black when fully ripe[]. The subglobose fruit is around 10 - 20mm in diameter[, ].

Medicinal

The fruit is febrifuge, it is also used to promote secretions[, ]. It is used in the treatment of the common cold and flu[].

The seed is regarded in China as being sedative[].

Other Uses

Sometimes used as a rootstock for the persimmon (Diospyros kaki)[].

Wood - hard and durable, with a beautiful grain. It is pliable and resists rot. It is used to make fine furniture and also for construction, general carpentry etc[, ]. The rich black heartwood is very valuable for the manufacture of fancy articles and high grade furniture[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[, ]. Stored seed requires a period of cold-stratification and should be sown as early in the year as possible[]. It usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 15°c[]. Pot up the young seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle into fairly deep pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. Give them some protection from winter cold for their first year or two outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame[].
Layering in spring[].