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Diospyros lotus

Common name:	Date Plum	Family:	Ebenaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	11, 74, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan. Himalayas.
Habitat:	Mixed mountain forests to 1500 metres in China[74].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	5	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Diospyrus lotus[H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Date Plum [P,H], False Lote Tree [H],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Ebenales. Ebony family

Physical Characteristics

A decidious tree growing to 9m by 6m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 5 and is frost tender. It is in flower in July, and the seeds ripen from October to November. The flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 5/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Secondary, Sunny Edge.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked[2, 3]. The fruit has an exquisitely rich flavour when it is fully ripe (almost at the point of going bad), but it is very harsh and astringent before then[K]. The fruit may not ripen properly in a cool summer, though if it is frosted it normally develops a very good flavour[K]. The fruit can be dried, when it acquires a date-like flavour[61, 183]. The fruit can also be harvested in the autumn, preferably after a frost, and bletted[183]. (This is a process where the fruit is kept in a cool place and only eaten when it is very soft and almost at the point of going rotten). The fruit of trees in a fairly sunny position at Kew ripens on the tree in most years and produces fertile seed[K]. The fruit contains about 1.9% protein, 0.2% fat, 47.7% carbohydrate, 1% ash[179]. Fruits are about the size of a large cherry, they turn from yellow to blue-black when fully ripe[183]. The fruit is about 20mm in diameter[200].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Febrifuge Sedative.

The fruit is febrifuge[178, 240]. It is also used to promote secretions[240].
The seed is regarded in China as being sedative[240].

Other Uses

Rootstock Wood.

Sometimes used as a rootstock for D. kaki[183].
Wood - durable, pliable, resists rot. Used for construction, general carpentry etc[74].

Cultivation details

Requires a good deep loamy soil in sun or light shade[200]. When being grown for its fruit, the tree should be given a warm, sheltered, sunny position[K]. It dislikes very acid or wet and poorly drained soils[200].
Dormant plants are very cold-hardy, but the young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun[K].
Dioecious, but the female tree can produce seedless fruits in the absence of a pollinator[1]. It is likely that unfertilized fruits are more astringent than fertilized fruits since this is the case with D. kaki[K].
Plants have a long tap root and are difficult to transplant[200], it is best to plant them out in their permanent position as soon as possible and to give protection overwinter for the first year or two[K].
This species is sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit in Italy and E. Asia, there are some named varieties[142, 183].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[113, 200]. Stored seed requires a period of cold-stratification and should be sown as early in the year as possible[78]. It usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 15° c[175]. Pot up the young seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle into fairly deep pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. Give them some protection from winter cold for their first year or two outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[200].
Layering in spring[200].

Cultivars

'': No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Diospyrus lotus (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for the family Ebenaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[3] Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7
A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[142] Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975 ISBN 0-12-136450-x
Readable but not very comprehensive.

[175] Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Corydalis spp.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

Diospyros lotus

Hans Perneel (hans.perneel@ping.be) Mon Dec 04 14:46:48 2000

And some information about Diospyros lotus and virginia, they both carry fruits here in Belgium ,and I have already tasted the lotus. One fruit the size of a tomato had fallen from the tree and was at an early stage of rotting, but the rest of it whas very good of taste.

Cross references: Plants: Diospyros virginia.

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