Date Plum
the name given to several species of Diospyros, a genus of trees of the ebony family. The European date plum is the D. lotus, a lowgrowing tree, native of the S. of Europe. It produces a small fruit, the supposed lotus of the ancients. The American date plum, or persimmon (D. virginiana), attains a height of 50 or 60 feet; the the fruit is nearly round, about an inch in diameter, is very aus austere, but edible after being frosted. The Chinese date plum (D. kaki) is cultivated for the sake of its fruit, which is about the size of a small apple, and is made into a preserve.