Lotus plum (Diospyros lotus)

Native to China and Asia Minor, the Lotus Plum hosts a decadent, plum-meets-date flavor when fully ripe. The small yellow fruit, when mature, takes on a blue-black color (and is rather astringent until that point). Eaten out-of-hand or cooked into jelly, many commonly dry the Lotus Plum to entice its date-like profile, hence the name Date Plum.

Diospyros lotus also goes by Caucasian Persimmon or Lilac Persimmon and is a member of the Ebenaceae family, related to Japanese persimmons. The strong rootstock is widely used for Asian persimmons. The tree is beloved not only for its fruits but also for its gorgeous golden leaves in fall and deep green summer foliage.