Diospyros vaccinioides, the small persimmon, is a herbaceous plant, a member of the family Ebenaceae. This plant is mainly found in China and it is known to thrive in subtropical biomes.[1]
It is a shrub with small, glossy, round leaves; it has small, white, bell-shaped flowers, and purple fruit.[2] It has veins that are arranged in a pinnate pattern. The plant has a slow growth rate and ranges in size from a shrub to a small tree, It is mainly used for ornamental value which has classified it as endangered.[3] It is an evergreen which indicates that the leaves are thick and leathery. The leaves can stay on the tree for around 2 or more years and fall at any season. The foliage remains green and is functional for more than one growing season. This plant flowers in the spring and produces fruit, a small persimmon, in the fall and winter seasons.[4] The fruit produced by this plant, small persimmons, are classified as berries.[5]
It is an endemic species to Taiwan. It is also native to China, specifically the Guangdong province, Hongkong, and Hainan. This plant is found in a subtropical biome which consists of high temperatures, low precipitation, and warm soil. Due to its affinity for these conditions, the plant has full sun exposure from a young age and a small amount of shade in all climates which means it requires a high amount of water. It has no frost tolerance and high tolerance to wind.
It was named by John Lindley, in Exot. Fl. 2: t. 139. in 1825.[6]