Diospyros virginiana In respect to the power of making heartwood, the persimmon rarely develops any heartwood until it is nearly one hundred years old. This heartwood is extremely close-grained and almost black, resembling ebony (of which it is a true variety). It is a common misconception persimmon fruit needs frost to ripen and soften, called bletting. Some, such as the early-ripening varieties "pieper" and "NC21"(also known as "supersweet"), easily lose astringency and become completely free of it when slightly soft at the touch—these are then very sweet, even in the British climate. On the other hand, some varieties (like the very large
Bush tomato is roasted before being eaten or dried. Fruit of "S.orbiculatum" is edible, but the fruit of the large leafed form may be bitter. Fruit of "S. phlomoides" appears to be edible after the removal of seeds and roasting or sundrying. "S. aviculare" contains solasodine, a steroid used in the manufacture of oral contraceptives. Bush tomato The term bush tomato refers to the fruit or entire plants of certain nightshade ("Solanum") species native to the more arid parts of Australia. While they are quite closely related to tomatoes ("Solanum lycopersicum"), they might be even closer relatives of the eggplant ("S. melongena"),