Bloomipedia
Texas persimmon (Diospyros texana)
Photo: Lisa Winnett-Pequeno via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Texas persimmon

Diospyros texana

Texas persimmon (Diospyros texana) is a shrub or small tree in the Ebenaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–April across the U.S.

Native to Texas

Texas persimmon is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Texas it's most often seen in bloom in March–April.

1states where USDA records it
17,068TX sightings*
17,068U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Texas

Quick look

Diospyros texana is a species of persimmon that is native to central, south and west Texas and southwest Oklahoma in the United States, and eastern Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico. Common names include Texas persimmon, Mexican persimmon and the more ambiguous "black persimmon".

  • It belongs to the Ebenaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a tree with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 1 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Texas. NatureServe
  • In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 17,068 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #21 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

In Texas, most flowering sightings come in March–April.

Flowering records by month in Texas (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (667 records)

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
Texas
Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
Rare elsewhere
No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records Texas persimmon in 1 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Texas.

Texas counties with USDA records: Aransas, Bandera, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brazos, Brewster, Brown, Burnet, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Coleman, Comal, Coryell, Crockett, DeWitt, Dimmit, Duval, Edwards, Falls, Gillespie, Grimes, Harris, Hays, Hidalgo, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kenedy, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Kleberg, La Salle, Live Oak, Llano, Mason, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Pecos, Real, San Patricio, San Saba, Schleicher, Terrell, Tom Green, Travis, Uvalde, Val Verde, Willacy, Williamson.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 55 counties across 1 states; the most are in Texas (55).

More Texas flowers

Pinkladies (Oenothera speciosa)

Pinkladies

Oenothera speciosa

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🌼 Blooms in TX: March–May
Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella)

Firewheel

Gaillardia pulchella

★ OK state wildflowerNative

🌼 Blooms in TX: April–June
Silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium)

Silverleaf nightshade

Solanum elaeagnifolium

Native

🌼 Blooms in TX: April–September

Sources