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nafex - Re: [nafex] Prolific wild persimmons in southern Illinois

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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj@bellsouth.net>
  • To: nafex mailing list at ibiblio <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [nafex] Prolific wild persimmons in southern Illinois
  • Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:42:24 -0400

On 10/24/2012 7:42 PM, Joseph Richardson wrote:
Last year around this time I saw what I was pretty sure were numerous
persimmons along interstate 24 in Southern Illinois. Today I confirmed
that was what I was seeing. I detoured off the interstate into the
national forest in the vicinity of Dutchman's lake (in this case the
persimmons were most numerous closest to the interstate) and also stopped
off at Rend Lake and checked out the park that google maps calls Wayne
Fitzgerrell. There are indeed persimmon trees all over the place. I know
of no other place like it. I probably ate 100 times more persimmons than I

have the rest of my life combined and barely scratched the surface. This
would be a great area to look for improved trees in the wild.

That is a good idea.

I lived for a while on a piece of farmland in Chatham County NC that had huge natural groves of mature persimmons and saplings. They were everywhere along the forest edges and had taken over some of the field edges. This grove is probably gone now due to sale of the property for development. I have never seen as many persimmons in one place in my life. They were growing in sandy loam soil with severe impermeable compacted clay a foot and a half down in the Triassic Basin region between Pittsboro and Apex near a Jordan Lake estuary.

Persimmon wood was used to make turned wooden spindles for winding cotton yarn on in textile mills in the South. It was used because it is so hard and tough. I prefer walking sticks made from straight limbs from persimmon trees; they are stout, heavy and last forever.





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