Picture of single persimmon on a branch - backlit

Big Trees, Champion Trees, and other  significant persimmons 

(Diospyros virginiana - common, or American persimmon)

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 Picture of branch with persimmons
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Most states within the range of the common persimmon keep a list of big trees.  Most of the lists contain the state champion tree for each state.  The information listed by each state varies.   A few barely list any locality information (Kentucky).  None of the lists I have seen show whether the trees are male or female.   American Forests keeps the National Register of Big Trees Which lists the National Champion for each tree species listed.  

The trees are qualified based on a point system which takes into account three aspects of tree growth, height, crown spread, and circumference.  

Some of the states in the common persimmon's native range have big tree lists but do not yet have any big persimmons listed.  They are also listed in the table below.  Additionally, there are some states in which persimmons are not native but have been grown for years.  A few of those states do not list persimmons in their big tree lists.  They too, are listed below.  If you click on the state link from the table below, you'll be taken to a page for that state with all known significant common persimmons.


State / Province County Location Year Measured Nominator Circumference at Breast Height (CBH) (inches) Height (feet) Average Crown Spread (feet) Total Points notes
Alabama Lauderdale   2003 David Pettus 80 122 47 214  
Arkansas Yell Dardanelle 2004   151 94 78 265  
CaliforniaHas a state list but does not have a persimmon listed yet.  Persimmons are not native to California.
Connecticut Coventry 2007 Mark Sutclliffe 107 49 52 169
Delaware Kent Dover     99.3 57 47 168  
Delaware Sussex Seaford     116.2 71 52 200  
Floridano information
GeorgiaHas a state list but does not have a persimmon listed yet.
Illinois Wabash   2006 Clint Patterson 97 135 40 242   GPS: 38.3° -87.92°
Indiana Posey New Harmony   David Rice 110.4 92 57 216.65  
Iowa Lee West Point 1987 Mark Rouw 77 62 32.5 147.125  
Kansas Leavenworth Leavenworth 2004 Jack Smith 107 68 41 185  
Kentucky Harlan       73.2 51 46.5 135.83  
LouisianaHas a state list but does not have a persimmon listed yet.
Maryland Prince Georges   2007         216  
Michigan Washtenaw Ann Arbor 1960 M. Kropp 93 68 47 134  
Michigan Kent Grand Rapids 2003 Elwood B. Ehrle, Fred Nietering 66 55 45 161  
MinnesotaHas a state list but does not have a persimmon listed yet.
Mississippi Leflore     H. Fluett 113 64 64 193  
Missouri Mississippi Big Oak Tree State Park     93 124 40 227  
NebraskaHas a state list but does not have a persimmon listed yet.
Nevada Washoe Reno: Idlewild Park 2002 Jim Ross 8 13 6 23  
New JerseyNo publicly available list online but does have a book on New Jersey Big Trees for sale.
New York Monroe     Richard Cook 65 77 9 151  
North CarolinaWashingtonPettigrew State ParkSid Shearin973139195
Ohio Scioto Portsmou Brian Riley 142 82 58 239 Male tree.  Pics coming soon.
Oklahoma   Wheeler Sallislaw 1999 Phil Hayden 109 76 66 201.5  
Pennsylvania Bucks Pennsbury 2004 Scott Wade, Meg Varnes, Don West 86 74 51 173  
Pennsylvania Berks Douglasville 2006 Scott Wade, Meg Varnes, Tom S. Delong 82 79.1 52 174  
Pennsylvania Dauphin Harrisburg 1998   79 86 50 178  
Pennsylvania Lebanon Lebanon 1985 Gene Odato, Sally Harley 103 65 52 181  
Rhode Islandno information
South Carolina Richland Congaree National Park 2002 Robert H. Jones, Lee Reynaud 87.6 122 37 219  
Tennessee Lauderdale Open Lake 1998 Clyde A. Stewart 107 101 56 222  
Tennessee Knox University of TN (Main Campus) 2002 Judy Baker 127.2 80 76 226  
Texas Cass   2005 Russell Lykins 79 80 50 172  
VermontHas a state list but does not have a persimmon listed yet.
Virginia Isle of Wight   1988 Byron Carmean, Gary Williamson 79 111 36 199 in danger of being dropped for lack of current measurement
Virginia Greensville   1991 Byron Carmean, Gary Williamson 88 105 40 203 in danger of being dropped for lack of current measurement
Virginia Sussex   2005 Byron Carmean, Lee Devendorf, Gary Williamson 103 120 39 233  
Washington DCno information available
West Virginia Kanawha Charleston 71 76 44 159
Wisconsin Milwaukee  Milwaukee 2007 Robert Van Pelt       79 GPS: 43.08241, 87.88100


References:


Alabama:    Alabama Forestry Commission.  2008.  Champion Trees of Alabama.  Alabama Forestry Commission, Montgomery,
                      AL.  13 pp.  
Arkansas:  Fowler,Christina.  Champion Trees of Arkansas.  Arkansas Forestry Commission, Little Rock, AR.  9 pp.

Connecticut:    Dreyer, Glenn.  Connecticut's Notable Trees (database).  [Internet].  Connecticut College Arboretum, Notable
                            Trees Committee, New London, CT: [Cited 2008 August 31].  Available from http://notabletrees.conncoll.edu/.
Delaware:   Delaware Forest Service. 2008?.  Big Trees of Delaware, Third Edition. Delaware Department of Agriculture,
                       Wilmington, DE. 64 pp. 

Florida:    There doesn't seem to be an up-to-date list available.  There is however the following reference from 1997:
                    Ward, D.B. & R.T. Ing.   1997.  Big Trees: The Florida Register.  Florida Native Plant Society, Orlando, FL.  223 pp.

Georgia:    Persimmons are not listed in their Champion Trees website.
Illinois:      Hayek, Jay.  2008.  The 2008 Illinois Big Tree Register: The Complete List of Champion Trees Native to Illinois.
                    Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Services, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL.  9pp.

Indiana:    Eger, Janet.  2005. Indiana Big Tree Register.  The Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry,
                    Indianapolis, IN.  24 pp.

Iowa:  Cook, Randy.  2003.  Big Trees of Iowa.  Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Forestry Bureau, Des Moines, Iowa.  14 pp.

Kansas:    Strine, Jim.   Champion Trees Of Kansas.  Kansas Forest Service, Hays, KS.  10 pp.

Kentucky: Olszowy, Diana.  2008.  Kentucky's Big Tree Program.  [Internet].  Kentucky Division of Forestry, Frankfort, KY.  [cited
                     2008 August 29].  Available from http://www.forestry.ky.gov/programs/kybigtree/.  

Louisianna: Persimmons not listed on the Champion Trees in Louisiana website by the Louisiana Forestry Association.
Maryland: Bennett, John.  2008.  Big Tree Champions of Maryland.  Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forest Service,
                            Annapolis, MD.  7 pp.

                         Bennett, John.  2010.  personal communication via email.  John Bennett is the Maryland Big Tree Program
                            Volunteer Coordinator.  

Michigan:   Ehrle, Elwood B.  2006.  The Big Trees and Shrubs of Michigan.  The Michigan Botanist 45: (6) 65-152.

Minnesota: Persimmons not listed on the Minnesota's Native Big Tree Registry website by the Minnesota Department of
                      Natural Resources.  
Mississippi:    Brown, Ed.  2005.  Champion Trees of Mississippi.  Mississippi Forestry Commission, Bay Springs, MS.  14 pp.

Missouri:    Baldwin, Donna.  2008.  Missouri State Champion Trees.  Missouri Department of Conservation,  Jefferson City,
                      MO.  18 pp.

Nebraska:    Persimmons not listed in their Nebraska Champion Tree Register website by the Nebraska Forest Service.
Nevada:    Stead, Susan.  2003.  Nevada Big Tree Register.  Nevada Divison of Forestry, Carson City, NV.  13 pp.

New Jersey:    Info on their big tree list is only available through the book, New Jerseys Big Trees, available on the New Jersey
                            Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Parks & Forestry website.  
New York:    Verschoor, Karin.  2007.  New York State Big Tree Register.  New York State Department of Environmental
                        Conservation, Albany, NY.

North Carolina:    Moore, Alan.  Date Unknown but is after 2001.  Champion Trees of Nortgh Carolina.  [Internet].  North Carolina
                                 Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Forest Resources, Raleigh, NC: [Cited 2008
                                 August 30].  Available from http://www.dfr.state.nc.us/urban/big_tree_intro.htm.

Ohio:    Balser, Dan.  2008.  Ohio Big Trees.  [Internet].  Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Columbus,
              OH: [Cited 2008 August 31].  Available from http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/bigtrees/default/tabid/4806/Default.aspx.
Oklahoma:`    Bays, Mark 2000.   The Great Trees of Oklahoma (Database).  [Internet].  Oklahoma Department of Agriculture,
                          Food & Forestry, Oklahoma Forestry Services, Oklahoma City, OK: [Cited 2008 August 30].  Available from
                          http://www.forestry.ok.gov/champion-trees.

Pennsylvania:    Wade, Scott.  Big Trees of Pennsylvania.  [Internet].  Pennsylvania Forestry Association, Big Tree Committee, Media,
                                PA [Cited 2008 August 30].  Available from http://www.pabigtrees.com.

South Carolina:   Shelburne, Vic.  Date Unknown.  South Carolina Champion Tree Database.  [Internet].  A collaboration between
                                  the South Carolina Forestry Commission and the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Clemson
                                  University, Clemson, SC: [Cited 2008 August 30].  Available from
                                  http://www.clemson.edu/champtree/SouthCarolinaChampionTree.htm.

Tennessee:    Rucker, Brian.  2003.  Tennessee Champion Tree List.  Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Nashville, TN.  23 pp.

Texas:   Texas Forest Service.  2008.  Texas Big Tree Registry (Updated May 13, 2008).  Texas A&M University,
                College Station, TX.  9 pp.  

Vermont: Persimmons not listed on the Vermont Big Tree List website by the Vermont Tree Society.  
Virginia:  Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University.  2008.  Virginia Big Tree Database [Internet]. [cited 2008 June 3].

West Virginia:    The West Virginia Department of Forestry does not post the West Virginia Big Tree Register on their website
                                    but you can get the booklet sent to you.  However, you can find the list online at the Greater Athens Sustainability
                                    Project (Athens, OH) at the link below:

                                    West Virginia Department of Forestry.  Big Trees of West Virginia.  [Internet].  West Virginia Department of Forestry,
                                    Charleston, WV: [Cited 2008 August 31].  Available from http://www.gasp.athens.oh.us/wvbigtrees.shtml.
 
Wisconsin:    Rideout, Richard.  Date Unknown.  Wisconsin's Champion Trees (database).  [Internet].  Wisconsin Department
                          of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Madison, WI: [Cited 2008 August 30].  Available from
                          http://dnr.wi.gov/forestry/uf/champion/.