VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Diospyros texana | Texas Persimmon 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Texas persimmon wood is black, hard, and heavy.  It takes a high polish
and is used for tools, engraving blocks, and art work [30,34,41].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Wildlife use Texas persimmon for food, shelter, and cover.  Coyote,
raccoon, ringtail, foxes, and other mammals and birds eat the fruit
[1,14].  Spanish goats consume large amounts of Texas persimmon foliage
[22].  White-tailed deer browse the foliage lightly [11,19].

In brushy habitats Texas persimmon and other woody species form a tall
overlapping canopy which produces thermal, hiding, and escape cover for
white-tailed deer [47].


PALATABILITY : 
Texas persimmon browse is of low preference to white-tailed deer [4].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Dry-weight Texas persimmon browse averages 14 percent protein, 0.25
percent phosphorus, 1.55 percent potassium, 2.46 percent calcium, 0.64
percent magnesium, and 0.08 percent sodium [19].  The browse has medium
food value for white-tailed deer [11].


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Container-grown Texas persimmon was planted with other native species on
a borrow pit reclamation site in central Texas.  The exposed subsoil and
sandstone was covered with 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm) of topsoil before
planting.  Eighty percent of the woody transplants survived the first
summer and winter [26].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Texas persimmon fruit is edible and used in puddings and custards.  The
fruit pulp produces an indelible black stain.  Mexicans use it to dye
animal hides [30,34,41].

Texas persimmon is used for landscaping [33].



MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Texas persimmon is one of many woody species that has contributed to
brush problems on Texas rangeland.  With overgrazing, drought, increased
seed dispersal, and decreased fire frequency, woody species have
expanded from lowlands onto uplands.  Managers are concerned with the
corresponding decrease in grass forage and are experimenting with
methods for controlling brush [9].

Double chaining is an effective means of opening up dense stands of
scrub oak (Quercus spp.)-juniper (Juniperus spp.) communities which
contain Texas persimmon.  In a study on the Edwards Plateau, brush
canopy was 80 percent lower on treated than untreated brush stands 1
year after double chaining [32].  Mechanical brush removal followed by
prescribed fire is the most effective brush control method (See FIRE
MANAGEMENT) [8,9].

Texas persimmon is generally resistant to herbicides.  Texas persimmon
was only slightly susceptible to soil application of picloram pellets
[23].  Canopy reductions of Texas persimmon after aerial application of
picloram and 2,4,5,-T are described [6].

Spanish goats can be used to control brush.  Optimum goat stocking
densities and management are described [22].

Bryant and Kothmann [12] estimated Texas persimmon browse biomass using
regression equations with crown volume and weight relationships.

Related categories for Species: Diospyros texana | Texas Persimmon