Saijo Asian Persimmon Tree

Saijo Asian Persimmon’s name translates from Japanese as “the very best one” — and the fruit lives up to that billing. The conical orange fruit ripens in late September to early October with sweet, smooth, custard-textured yellow flesh and few to no seeds — outstanding for fresh eating at peak ripeness, and excellent dried, baked, and frozen. Before the fruit arrives, the upright rounded tree delivers one of the most brilliant fall foliage displays available in Zones 6–9 — green leaves transitioning to vivid orange, yellow, and red as the orange fruit ripens against them. Heat-tolerant, grafted, self-pollinating, and bearing in 3–4 years. Grown in EZ Start® pots for superior root development.

Note: Our persimmon trees are grown in EZ Start® pots, which allow the roots to self-air prune and redirect energy to producing a dense mass of feeder roots. The main tap root will begin forming once planted in its permanent location, and will fully develop over the next 2–3 years.

“The Very Best One” — Sweet Custard Flesh, Few to No Seeds

The Saijo’s reputation for sweetness and eating quality has sustained its cultivation in Japan for centuries — and the custard-smooth, honey-sweet yellow flesh at full ripeness earns that reputation completely. The few-to-no seeds make every piece of fruit fully usable, and the conical shape is visually distinctive and beautiful at harvest. Dried Saijo persimmons — hoshigaki in the Japanese tradition — are among the finest dried fruits available anywhere, concentrating the sweetness into an extraordinary confection.

Brilliant Fall Foliage — Orange Fruit Against Blazing Color

The Saijo’s ornamental fall display is genuinely exceptional. The leaves transition from summer green to vivid shades of orange, yellow, and red precisely as the orange fruit ripens — creating a stunning combination of fruit and foliage color that makes the tree one of the most visually dramatic fall landscape plants available. Even without the fruit, the fall foliage alone would justify the planting.

Grafted, EZ Start® Roots — Bears in 3–4 Years

Saijo is grafted for consistent named-variety quality and early bearing — typically producing first fruit in just 3–4 years from planting. The EZ Start® pot system produces a dense mass of feeder roots through self-air pruning, giving the tree a stronger root foundation for establishment than standard bare-root planting.

Why Growers Choose Saijo Asian Persimmon

• Name means "the very best one" — Japanese persimmon with centuries of cultivation history
• Sweet custard-textured yellow flesh — few to no seeds, outstanding fresh or dried
• Brilliant orange, yellow, and red fall foliage — one of the finest fall landscape displays
• Heat-tolerant and grafted — bears in 3–4 years from planting
• EZ Start® pot system — superior root development for establishment
• Self-pollinating — productive with just one tree