Persimmons originally come from East Asia, especially China , with related native species also found in parts of North America.

Origins

Most of the persimmons people see in stores (like Fuyu and Hachiya) are from the species Diospyros kaki , which is native to China, northeastern India, and northern Indochina. This Asian persimmon has been cultivated in China for over 2,000 years and later spread to Japan and Korea.

There are also American species, such as Diospyros virginiana , which is native to the eastern United States. Another related species, Diospyros texana , is native to parts of Texas and northeastern Mexico.

How persimmons spread

  • From China, persimmons were introduced to Japan (around the 7th century) and then to Korea.
  • In the 1800s, Asian persimmons were brought to places like California and southern Europe, where they are still grown today.
  • In modern markets, most commercial persimmons still trace back to the Asian species, even though wild or local types also grow in North America.

TL;DR: Persimmons mainly come from East Asia (especially China), but there are native persimmon species in North America as well.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.