# Date-plum
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> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Date-plum.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date-plum
> Source revision: 1332112357
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{{Short description|Species of tree}}
{{speciesbox
|name = Date-plum
|image = Diospyros_lotus_01.jpg
|image_caption = Branches with fruit
|status = LC
|status_system = IUCN3.1
|status_ref = [{{cite iucn |author=Puglisi, C. |author2=Schmidt, H. |year=2023 |title=''Diospyros lotus'' |article-number=e.T63524A3126366 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T63524A3126366.en}}]
|genus = Diospyros
|species = lotus
|authority = [L.](/source/Carl_Linnaeus)[{{cite POWO |title=''Diospyros lotus'' |id=322629-1 |access-date=14 February 2024}}]
|synonyms_ref = [
|synonyms={{Species list|hidden=yes|header=11 Synonyms
|Dactylus trapezuntinus|[Forssk.](/source/Forssk.) (1775)
|Diospyros calycina|[Dippel](/source/Leopold_Dippel) (1889)
|D. lotus var. angustifolia|[Gaudin](/source/Jean_Fran%C3%A7ois_Aim%C3%A9_Th%C3%A9ophile_Philippe_Gaudin) (1830)
|D. lotus f. ellipsoidea|[Makino](/source/Tomitaro_Makino) (1912)
|D. lotus f. globosa|[Makino](/source/Tomitaro_Makino) (1912)
|D. lotus var. laevis|[H.Ohba](/source/Hideaki_Ohba) & [S.Akiyama](/source/Shinobu_Akiyama) (2016)
|D. lotus f. longifolia|[Zhang](/source/species%3AZhi_Ying_Zhang) (1983)
|D. lotus var. mollissima|[C.Y.Wu](/source/Wu_Zhengyi) (1965)
|D. lotus f. ovoidea|[Makino](/source/Tomitaro_Makino) (1912)
|D. mediterranea|[Oken](/source/Lorenz_Oken) (1841)
|D. umlovok|[Griff.](/source/Griff.) (1848)
}}
}}
The '''date-plum''' ('''''Diospyros lotus'''''), also known by the common names '''Caucasian persimmon''' and '''lilac persimmon''', is a widely cultivated species of the [genus](/source/genus) ''[Diospyros](/source/Diospyros)'', native to temperate Asia and southeast Europe. Its English name derives from the small fruit, which have a taste reminiscent of both [plum](/source/plum)s and [dates](/source/Date_(fruit)). It is among the oldest plants in cultivation.
== Distribution and ecology ==
The species area extends from East Asia to the west of the Mediterranean, down to Spain. The date-plum is native to southeast Europe and southwest Asia. It was known to the ancient [Greeks](/source/Ancient_Greece) as "God's fruit" ({{lang|grc|{{linktext|Διός}} {{linktext|πυρός}}}}, {{grc-transl|Διός πυρός}}), hence the scientific name of the genus. Its [English](/source/English_language) name probably derives from [Persian](/source/Persian_Language) ''Khormaloo'' خرمالو literally "date-plum", referring to the taste of this fruit which is reminiscent of both [plum](/source/plum)s and [dates](/source/Date_Palm). The fruit is called ''Amlok'' املوک in [Pakistan](/source/Pakistan) and consumed dried. This species is one candidate for the "[lotus tree](/source/lotus_tree)" mentioned in ''[The Odyssey](/source/The_Odyssey)'': it was so delicious that those who ate it forgot about returning home and wanted to stay and eat lotus with the [lotus-eaters](/source/Lotophagi).][{{cite book
|url = https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1727
|title = The Odyssey
|author = Homer
|page = 76
|publisher = Project Gutenberg
|date =
|access-date = 2007-10-13
}}]
The tree grows in the lower and middle mountain zones in the Caucasus. They usually grow up to {{cvt|600|m}} above sea level. In Central Asia, it rises higher—up to {{cvt|2000|m}}. They rarely grow in stands but often grow with [hackberry](/source/Celtis), [ash](/source/Fraxinus), [maple](/source/maple) and other [deciduous](/source/deciduous) species. It is not demanding on the soil and can grow on rocky slopes but requires a well lit environment.{{Cn|date=February 2021}}
It is cultivated at the limits of its range, as well as in the U.S. and North Africa.{{Cn|date=February 2021}}
== Biological description ==
This is a tree of height {{cvt|15–30|m}} with sloughing of aging bark. The tree will commonly stop growing at {{cvt|15|m}}, it grows slowly and will spread in a horizontal direction as it matures.[{{Cite web|url=https://farmplasticsupply.com/blog/date-plums|title=Date Plums: History, Info, and Description|website=Farm Plastic Supply|location=[Addison, Illinois](/source/Addison%2C_Illinois)|language=en-us|access-date=2024-11-03}}]
The leaves are shiny, leathery, oval-shaped with pointed ends, {{cvt|5–15|cm}} long and {{cvt|3–6|cm}} in width.[{{Citation |last=Mehdiyeva |first=Naiba P. |title=Diospyros lotus L. Ebenaceae |date=2017 |work=Ethnobotany of the Caucasus |pages=265–269 |url=https://link.springer.com/rwe/10.1007/978-3-319-49412-8_130 |access-date=2025-11-18 |publisher=Springer, Cham |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-49412-8_130 |isbn=978-3-319-49412-8 |last2=Alizade |first2=Valida M. |last3=Batsatsashvili |first3=Ketevan |last4=Fayvush |first4=George |last5=Kikvidze |first5=Zaal |last6=Khutsishvili |first6=Manana |last7=Maisaia |first7=Inesa |last8=Sikharulidze |first8=Shalva |last9=Tchelidze |first9=David|url-access=subscription }}]
The flowers are small, greenish, appearing in June to July. The plant is [dioecious](/source/dioecious), and so obviously not [self-fertile](/source/Autogamy).
Fruits are berries with juicy flesh, yellow when ripe, {{cvt|1–2|cm}} in diameter.