Fruit: Fleshy, spherical, but with the greenish calyx persistent at one end, yellow-orange to orange (rarely blue), up to 2 inches in diameter, sweet when ripe, few-seeded.
Wood: Heavy, hard, the heartwood nearly black.
Uses: Golf club heads, billiard cues.
Habitat: Dry woods, rich bottomland woods, edge of fields, fence rows.
Range: Connecticut across to southern Iowa and eastern Kansas, south to eastern Texas, east to Florida.
Distinguishing Features: The leaves of the Persimmon are most often confused with those of the Sour Gum, but usually the tip is not as abruptly pointed in the Persimmon. The pith of the Persimmon also lacks the distinct partitions found in the Sour Gum.
BEECH
Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.
Growth Form: Large tree to nearly 100 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 4 feet; crown widely spreading, usually rounded.
Bark: Smooth, gray, thin, often marred by human carving.