Diospyros japonica ("Ryukyumamegaki")

Japanese name: リュウキュウマメガキ （琉球豆柿）
Scientific name: Diospyros japonica

[Overview]
A deciduous tree growing to 15 m tall, found in sunny valleys and on slopes in the mountains.
Young branches are green and at first have hairs, but later become hairless.
Leaves are simple and alternate, elliptic, 7.5–17.5 cm long and 3.5–7.5 cm wide.
The underside of the leaf is tinged with grayish white and hairless.
The leaf base is somewhat rounded.
The petiole is 1–3 cm long.
The plant is dioecious.
Male flowers grow in cymes and are pale yellow; the corolla is urn-shaped with a 4-lobed tip that curves back, and there are 16 stamens and 1 rudimentary ovary.
Female flowers grow singly or in bundles of 2–3 and are pale yellow; the corolla is urn-shaped with a 4-lobed tip that curves back.
The fruit is spherical to oblate, 1.5–2 cm in diameter, and ripens from a whitish pale orange to blackish purple.

[Uses]
Kakishibu (persimmon tannin) is made from the fruit and used as a paint and as a crude drug.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by grafting.
Sow seeds immediately after collecting.
It prefers fertile, moderately moist soil with plenty of sun that is well drained and retains water well.
Avoid places that dry out easily, such as those exposed to strong afternoon sun or dry cold winter winds.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries if the plant was planted within the past year, and for established plants, rainfall is sufficient unless summer brings a long sunny spell and the soil becomes severely dry.
From spring to autumn, place slow-release fertilizer on the soil once a month.
To obtain fruit, prepare both a male and a female plant and pollinate by hand.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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