North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Kieran &/or Donna" <holycow@frontiernet.net>]

Yuck.  From what I know of blue persimmons, they are just the ones with the 
most tannin.  Pretty much inedible till frost, and maybe not then.  The 
orange ones are better eating.  I thought we were in the armpit of persimmon 
genetics till I went up to Overton co TN where we got a tour of a large cow 
pasture with many blue persimmons .
   If the seeds were planted the trees would look exactly like seedlings 
from good varieties, and would take up exactly as much room, and take just 
as long to crop.  Half would be males, and the others would produce blue, 
yes, but inedible fruits.  What's the point?  They'd do better to amuse 
themselves by grafting a branch from a known female blue persimmon onto a 
good quality tree.  That way they could show someone the difference without 
all that wasted space and time.     Donna