{"product_id":"diospyros-texana","title":"Diospyros texana","description":"\u003cp\u003eDiospyros texana, the Texas persimmon, is a small, tough native tree grown above all for the bark, which peels away in thin flakes to reveal a smooth, mottled patchwork of white, gray, and pink beneath. Intricately and crookedly branched, this is a sculptural little tree, as handsome bare in winter as it is in leaf. A creature of the Texas hill country and northern Mexico, the Texas persimmon shrugs off heat, drought, and lean limestone soil that would defeat softer plants.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSmall, fragrant, urn-shaped white flowers open in spring, and because the tree is dioecious, only female plants set fruit, and only where a male grows nearby. That fruit is worth waiting for, a round, sweet, black persimmon ripening in late summer, good fresh or in jams, and long used to make a black dye for hides. Birds, foxes, and other wildlife take the crop as eagerly as any gardener, and the flowers feed bees.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe persimmons belong to the ebony family, and Texas persimmon carries the family trait in a dense, nearly black heartwood, prized for carving and small turned goods. Unlike the common persimmon of the eastern woods, Diospyros virginiana, this southwestern cousin stays small and semi-evergreen, holding the dark, leathery little leaves late into the season in mild winters and dropping them where the cold bites harder. Slow-growing and long-lived, the tree rewards patience.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGive Diospyros texana full sun and well-drained soil, ideally on the alkaline, rocky ground this tree knows best, and expect a tough, drought-proof specimen for a courtyard, patio, or xeric border. The peeling bark and twisting branches make a year-round focal point, while the fruit and flowers earn a place in any wildlife or native planting. For a small, water-wise tree with real character, few natives of the Southwest can match the Texas persimmon.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057860644979,"sku":"DIOS-TE-ANA-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DiospyrostexanaSusanShroederFruit.jpg?v=1784306507","url":"https:\/\/woodlanders.net\/products\/diospyros-texana","provider":"Woodlanders","version":"1.0","type":"link"}