Persimmon vs Date-Plum: What's the Difference?
Short answer: The persimmon and the date-plum are cousins in the genus Diospyros. A persimmon (Diospyros kaki) is a large orange fruit the size of a tomato, sweet and honeyed when ripe. The date-plum (Diospyros lotus) is much smaller - roughly date- or cherry-sized - ripening from yellow to blue-black, with a flavour said to blend date and plum. Both are astringent until fully soft, and the date-plum is essentially a tiny, wild-tasting relative of the cultivated persimmon.
| 🧡 Persimmon | 🟤 Date-plum | |
|---|---|---|
| Taste | Honey, apricot, and cinnamon sweetness with no acid; Fuyus are crisp and mild, ripe Hachiyas are spoonable jelly. Unripe astringent types coat the mouth in tannin chalk — the classic newcomer ambush. | Very sweet and honeyed when fully ripe and soft, with a flavor between date, plum, and persimmon; astringent and mouth-drying until dead-ripe, like all its Diospyros kin. |
| Type | Tropical & subtropical | Tropical & subtropical |
| Peak season | Autumn, Winter | Autumn, Winter |
| Origin | China (cultivated 2,000+ years), perfected across Japan and Korea | The Caucasus, Anatolia, and temperate Asia |
| Calories (per 100 g) | 70 | 70 |
| Sugar (per 100 g) | 12.5 g | 14 g |
| Vitamin C (per 100 g) | 7.5 mg | 20 mg |
| Fiber (per 100 g) | 3.6 g | 3 g |
| Potassium (per 100 g) | 161 mg | — |
| Typical price | Mid | Budget |
Persimmon and date-plum both belong to the genus Diospyros, and the connection is close enough that the date-plum reads like a miniature, wild version of the persimmon.
A persimmon (Diospyros kaki) is the fruit most people know - large, round, and orange, about the size of a tomato. Ripe, it’s sweet, honeyed, and soft; some varieties (astringent types) must be fully squishy before they lose their tannic bite, while others (non-astringent, like Fuyu) can be eaten firm.
A date-plum (Diospyros lotus) is far smaller - roughly the size of a date or large cherry - ripening from yellow to a dark blue-black. Its name captures its flavour, said to fall between a date and a plum, and it too is astringent until fully ripe. Beyond eating, it’s widely grown as a hardy rootstock onto which cultivated persimmons are grafted.
The rule for both is patience: wait until the fruit is fully soft and dark before eating, or the tannins will pucker your mouth. Think of the date-plum as the persimmon’s small, old-world cousin.
Frequently asked questions
Is a date-plum the same as a persimmon?
Not quite. Both are Diospyros species, but the persimmon (Diospyros kaki) is the large orange cultivated fruit, while the date-plum (Diospyros lotus) is a smaller, darker, date-sized wild relative. The date-plum's name reflects a taste between date and plum.
Where does the name date-plum come from?
It describes the fruit's size and flavour: small like a date and reminiscent of both date and plum when ripe. Diospyros lotus is also used as a hardy rootstock for grafting cultivated persimmons.
Are date-plums astringent?
Yes, until fully ripe. Like many persimmons, unripe date-plums are mouth-puckeringly astringent from tannins, and only become sweet and pleasant once soft and dark. Eat them fully ripe.