Species of small or shrubby tree native to North America, from New England to the Midwest, to the South Atlantic and Gulf states. The wild tree has been cultivated for its fruit and wood since prehistoric times by Native Americans. The fruit is round and orange in color. In the American South and Midwest, the fruits are referred to as simply "persimmons," used in cooking and for making brandy. Folklore holds that the fruit is inedible prior to the first frost, but this is untrue. The peculiar astringency of the fruit is due to the presence of a tannin.
