Szukis Persimmon

Szukis is widely believed to be a seedling of Early Golden, also documented in this database, and is considered by some growers an improvement on that variety. It has a genuinely unusual, well-documented trait: unlike most American persimmon trees, which produce either only male or only female flowers, Szukis reliably produces both on the same tree — making it a real dual-purpose selection, valued as much for its role as a pollinator for other varieties as for its own fruit. Growers specifically favor it to pollinate Garretson, also documented in this database, citing older research by American persimmon breeder Jim Claypool showing the specific male pollinator genuinely affects the flavor of the resulting fruit — a real, tested finding, not just folklore. It was also used as a pollen source in the central Indiana breeding orchard of the late Jerry Lehman, the same real breeder credited elsewhere in this database with developing the pawpaw variety Maria's Joy. The tree is naturally compact, productive at a young age, and produces good crops of attractive, light-orange fruit.