Diospyurs lotus
Caucasian persimmon, (Diospyros lotus L.)—a plant of the Ebony family (Ebenaceae), a species of the genus Persimmon, native to the subtropical regions of Eurasia. The range of this species extends from Japan through China and Northern India to the west of the Mediterranean, up to Spain. The tree grows in the lower and middle mountain belts, in the Caucasus it is usually up to 600 m above sea level, in Central Asia it rises higher—up to 2000 m. It is a tree 15-30 meters high with bark crumbling as it ages. The leaves are shiny, leathery, oval in shape with a pointed tip, 5-15 cm long and 3-6 cm wide. The flowers are small greenish, appearing in June and July. The fruits are berry-shaped with juicy flesh, yellow when ripe, 1-2 cm in diameter. Seeds with a thin skin and a very hard endosperm. The fruit is a fleshy berry containing up to 10 seeds. The fruits of Caucasian persimmon are edible and contain a lot of sugars, malic acid and vitamins. They are used for food fresh, frozen, and more often dried. Drying and freezing destroys their astringency.
Introduced to the Botanical Garden. The seeds of this species were sent to the Botanical Garden by academician F.N. Rusanov in 1953. In 1953, in the spring, the introduction of these species was sown in the nursery and studied, and in 3.03.1953, the Crimean-Caucasian exposition was planted in Yeurope. Currently, 8 adult trees of this species grow in this exposition.
