Diospyros texana "D. texana" favors riparian zones, prairie margins, and rocky slopes. It prefers well-drained, alkaline soils]. The sapwood of Texas persimmon is clear yellow, while the heartwood, found only in very large trees, is black (ebony), like that of the related "D. ebenum". The heartwood is hard and dense and takes a high polish. It is used to make engraving blocks, artwork, and tools. The fleshy berries are edible and sweet when ripe and are used in puddings and custards; they are also relished by many species of birds and mammals. They were traditionally used by Native Americans to make a
Diospyros squarrosa Diospyros squarrosa Diospyros squarrosa, the rigid star-berry, is a dioecious, deciduous shrub or small tree that is native to the tropical and subtropical Afrotropics. Its wood and edible, fleshy fruit are harvested locally. The bark is grey to brown, and smooth with shallow longitudinal fissures. It grows from 2 to 10 metres tall, and may start flowering while still small. They produce flowers from early to midsummer, which are greenish to creamy-white and fragrant. The flowers are axillary, in lax cymes in males plants, and solitary in female plants. The near-spherical fruit (of female plants) are some 2 cm in