The persimmon tree bark has a distinctive pattern and color. The bark has a rough, thick, and blocky texture.
The outer is dark green, while the inner park is yellow; the external one changes to yellow in the fall.
We can use the wild persimmon tree bark for medicine and decoration. Let’s figure out what a persimmon tree looks like and what persimmon bark is good for!
What Does A Wild Persimmon Tree Bark Look Like?
The trunk bark of the mature persimmon trees has a blackish color. It has deep furrows and irregular square or rectangle scales with flat tops.
The branch bark is more smooth and has a gray or brown color.
In other words, the common persimmon tree‘s bark looks like alligator skin. The distinctive bark pattern and color give the winter landscape an appealing look.
Bark Color
The persimmon trees belong to the ebony (Ebenaceae) family, which is prized for its black wood. There are numerous types in the persimmon tree family.
The Japanese and Virginia persimmon trees have similar bark colors despite being native to separate continents. The bark color changes a lot in different stages of growth.
How to identify a persimmon tree? Look at the bark of the tree!
The bark is reddish brown or light gray when the fruit tree is young. On the mature tree, the bark is grayish-black. During the following growth season, it turns blackish.
Bark Texture
What does a persimmon tree look like? It’s easy to identify persimmon trees because they have a distinctive bark pattern.
Persimmon trees, also known as Diospyros Virginiana or Diospyros Kaki, have a block-like pattern on their trunks, with vertical ridges running up and down.
There are numerous deep furrows and flat-top scales on a common persimmon tree.
The scales have the shape of irregular square or rectangular. The deep furrows separate the scales from each other.
The black bark’s cracks reveal the wood’s orange-yellow cambium layer, giving the blocky bark an almost lava-like appearance.
Those patterns make the persimmon trunk bark look like alligator skin or a checkerboard.
Scientifically said, the cambium, which facilitates the movement of sap through the tree, gives persimmon tree bark such a distinctive look.
When the sap-transporting cells are exhausted, they are forced to the surface, developing into the protective bark.
However, the persimmon tree’s bark only shows a checkerboard pattern on the trunk. The branch bark is still smooth with a gray or brown color.
What Is Persimmon Bark Good For?
The persimmon bark has many uses, such as protecting the persimmon wood from pests.
People also found different remedies that use persimmon bark as an ingredient. The bark’s distinctive color and texture may inspire many decor ideas.
Protect The Tree
The cambium of a persimmon tree creates the bark. The phloem (inner bark) and xylem (sapwood) are produced in that delicate layer of tissue.
The inner bark distributes the sap throughout the trees. The tree pushes that sap to the surface and hardens into the outer bark.
This tough bark protects the tree from cold, wind, fungi, and bugs. In addition, persimmon bark helps the tree to breathe and allows the proper quantity of water to enter.
- Freezing and cracking by the cold:
During the winter, the persimmon bark provides insulation and protection against freezing and cracking. The bark can bear temperatures ranging from -34.4°F to 25°F.
- Drying by the wind and sun:
The outer park protects the Virginia persimmon tree from drying by the sun and wind.
It helps to keep moisture in the inner bark when it rains and retains the moisture for nourishing the tree during the dry season.
- Fungi and bugs:
The persimmon bark prevents the tree from being eaten by fungi and bugs. Fungus might destroy the tree’s structure.
It may also damage the persimmon leaves, stopping the tree from photosynthesis. Significant calluses or rot on the tree are also the damage of the fungi.
The tough persimmon bark prevents insect infestation, fungus growth, and birds and mammals from approaching the wood inside the bark.
Medicinal Uses
The medicinal uses included the treatment of sore throats and mouths, indigestion, thrush, and bloody bowels. People have known about the antibacterial characteristics of persimmon bark since the 1800s.
Doctors have used the powder made from the inner bark to treat dysentery, fevers, ulcers, diphtheria, and venereal disorders.
They also have used boiling persimmon inner bark as an astringent to cure fungus infections.
Decoration
The persimmon bark’s dark color and distinct block pattern make it an ideal item for many types of decoration.
Combined with the ripe persimmon, they make spectacular decorative highlights for home decor and landscaping.
Persimmon Tree Bark Diseases
Persimmon tree bark often has a high inherent resistance to disease and pests. However, it may succumb to borers, leaf spots, scale, and fungus.
The flathead borers, the gummosis fungus (Botryosphaeria dothidea), and other pests can infest trees through the furrows on the bark.
Buprestidae metallic wood beetles may deposit their eggs in the deep furrows left in the tree bark.
Flatheaded persimmon borers can seriously harm limbs as they consume the inner bark. They may ingest soft and tough scales and the sap from twigs and branches.
Applying insecticides at the proper time is essential for getting rid of pests and insects.
You must also be careful while pruning your persimmon tree because the sharp tools may create wounds in the bark and branches.
FAQs
Is Persimmon Tree Bark Toxic?
The bark of common persimmon trees is non-toxic. It is valued in many ways, including being utilized as decoration items and medicinal remedies.
What Do American Persimmon Leaves Look Like?
How to identify a fruit tree by leaf? The persimmon tree has alternate leaves. A common persimmon tree leaf has a growth range of 3 to 7 inches.
The dark green leaves of persimmon tree have the shape of an ovate.
The bottom surface of the oval leaf blades is pale green and short-pubescent, while the top surface is medium to dark green and glabrous.
What Are The Different Types Of Persimmon Trees?
There are two primary varieties in the persimmon tree family: Asian and American persimmon trees.
The North American persimmon tree, known as the Virginia persimmon tree, is native to the Southeast of the United States. The beautiful tree can grow up to fifty feet tall.
The wild persimmon trees are dioecious. They require male and female trees for pollination and persimmon fruit set. They have little, yellow, tasty fruit approximately an inch in diameter.
The Asian persimmon is native to China and Japan. They may reach a height of 30 feet, smaller than the Virginia persimmon tree.
The Chinese and Japanese persimmon trees can’t tolerate cold temperatures since they grow in warmer tropical climates.
They produce edible fruit that is bigger and less astringent than the American type does.
Why Is Persimmon Bark Different Colors?
Because of chemical substances called naphthoquinones, the tree’s outer bark is black. On the black bark, yellow-orange furrows are the younger cambium layer of wood appearing up.
Ebenaceae family plants often own this distinctive characteristic.
Is Persimmon Wood Strong?
Persimmon wood is heavy, solid, and strong. It has very high shrinkage rates and good wear resistance.
Is A Persimmon Tree Hardwood Or Softwood?
The persimmon tree is hardwood.
- Its strength (MOR) is close to 18,000 psi.
- Its stiffness (MOE) is 2 million psi, and its hardness is 2300 pounds.
Persimmon has been used to make gold club heads because of its superior stress and wear resistance.
What Is Persimmon Wood Used For?
People use the persimmon wood to make:
- Turned pieces
- Veneer
- Golf club heads
- Drumsticks
- Tool handles
- Billiard cues
Conclusion
Overall, persimmon tree bark is eye-catching with distinctive color and pattern. It enhances the beauty of any yard or garden and serves various purposes.
It’s easy to take care of a persimmon tree with three steps: watering, fertilizing, and pruning. Be careful not to harm the bark of persimmon trees when pruning the tree.
Try growing one to see the value and beauty of persimmon trees! Happy gardening!
