Hi,

The only place I've seen persimmon growing in NJ was in Strawbridge Park along Rt 38 in Moorestown, NJ. It may well have been planted there, though. I'm not super familiar with it - I suspect it's around in south Jersey but I haven't seen it. I might not recognize it at a casual glance, though. I've never seen it in north Jersey at all. Where's the Ridgefield Nature Trail, anyway?

I am familiar with with Pawpaw and I don't think it grows in NJ at all - I've never seen it here. It's very common in Ohio where I grew up. Same with Pin Cherry - it sounds like it's commoner in the mountains of Pennsylvania but I've never seen it here.

I was a volunteer on the Metroflora project for the Brooklyn Botanic garden in the late 90s, so I'm pretty familiar with the woody plants in the Bergen county area; and I don't believe I saw any of these three there.

In fact, I got curious and dug out the 'Woody Plant Workbook' from the metroflora project - it has maps showing a dot in each quadrat where the (woody) plants were found. Persimmon is show as occuring on Staten Island and in Middlesex and Monmouth counties, but not farther north except for one or two places.

Asimina triloba is only listed in 3 locations - 2 on Staten Island ond one in Monmouth County. At that point I suspect that people were either looking at planted specimens or mistaking Umbrella Magnolia for Pawpaw - they look rather similar. I know the BBG made a pretty good effort to check on IDs, but they had a lot of volunteers at that point and they weren't all real knowledgable.

Prunus pennsylvanica is listed for 9 scattered sites over the entire area - like I said, I believe this is more common farther west.

FWIW, if you're not familiar with it, the BBG Metroflora Project is a census of all the plants growing within a 50 mile radius of NYC. They broke the area up into 964 5x5km blocks; the book I mentioned has maps with a dot in each block where the plant was found. It doesn't really have enough info to specifically locate the plant, but it would give you an idea. It's fun to look at, anyway.

Sorry I can't be more help.

WW

Here is a link that might be useful: Brooklyn Botanic Garden Metroflora Project

Weed Woman,

Very interesting reply - you wrote a lot of stuff I want to respond to and inquire about:

1. How large, in general, is the Moorestown tree and is it female (bearing fruit)?

2. Ridgefield is right out side of Manhattan, NYC. A small NJ suburb and those trees have not been planted - they must be all? that remain of a once thriving population. They are there because there is a fence around the 5 acres it is in. This preserved land is surrounded by residential and city infr. The trees surround a natural spring that was used by one of the major commercial water companies a long time ago. Ridgefield is in Bergen County NJ and is minutes from the Hudson River, NJ Meadowlands, and both GW Bridge and Lincoln Tunnel. Once day, I intend to survey the surrounding area that has not been developed upon (which is limited to a single creek surrounded by your typical native and non-native vegetation) and see if any more can be found around.

I've seen American persimmon somewhere in Somerset County and google searches have yielded, aside from what I have seen, a number of north Jersey places: Morris County and Essex County parks, etc.

As for pawpaw, I'm a google-freak, it IS in NJ - mostly west Jersey. There is an online photo taken in Somerset County, NJ of a pawpaw and that is no Magnolia spp. etc.

I suspect that they are not too difficult to find in counties which border the Delaware River, such as Hunterdon, which I intend to survey for them this summer.
Actually, now that I remember, (if you do a gardenweb search), there are a number of members which post sitings in Pawpaw in NJ - there is a known natural stand of them in New Paltz, NY (Ulster County), btw. But that is NY - which has them at the top, excluding the Central Park NYC plantings etc.

An old text recording the trees (at the time) of Ridgewood, NJ (northern Bergen County, just like Ridgefield) sites American Persimmon. According to the USDA site, it is extant (or was at once time) in every county of NJ, less Cumberland.

Steve

I've had American Persimmon on my property for the 21 years we've been here, including larger trees that are mature.

Hi Steve,

Would I be able to see the trees? I live in North Jersey, but am in Ocean County often, and occasionally Hunterdon. If I'm not mistaken, a year ago you mentioned having them - that you live in Forked River?

Steve

I've seen Persimmon in Salem County at Abbots Meadow WMA. I noticed the several trees which were bearing fruit, though I recall that there were a few more.

West Jersey History Project
PERSIMMON ISLAND - Elsinboro Township. Mentioned on survey
map as being on property owned in 1827 by Samuel Brick; and on survey map of land of William Carpenter - 1828. (SCHSM-9O & 91)

Pin Cherry (Prunus pennsylvanica)

The former Berkshire Sand and Gravel site in Jefferson - was the first place I noticed it. The site has since become a golf course but 10 years or so ago it was full of wild things.

Pattenburg quarry also might still have some - beaver got into it and flooded a lot of the successional wood

I've actually seen it pop up on planting lists for conservation projects over the past few years

I have paw paw growing on my property here in Monmouth County. It was given to me by a close friend who went to Temple U. for his LA degree. Further, it was amongst 5-6 saplings that he purchased (Earth Day? Arbor Day?).

I was on the receiving end of the pawpaw and a shagbark hickory (both of which are only about 8-12' tall as I write, but it's thriving very nicely.

19 North Main St. Cranbury , NJ - behind garage. I found this info on this state government site:

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/forest/community/bigtree_registry.html

It's in central jersey, but the best i could do.

I have friends in Lincroft NJ who have a couple of persimmon trees in their front yard.

Here in Eastern Oklahoma we have persimmons sprouting all over the place. Paw paw is a real challenge in Oklahoma, because the young trees fry in our summer sun, until they are past two years of age. But in NJ I think they would grow with no problem.

I searched Ridgefield Nature Center today for a Paw Paw tree. There was a tree marker for "American Persimmon" near the entrance but no sign of the tree. The tree marker was very old. Guessing a tree was planted many years ago and it has since died.

Searched the entire park and came up empty.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/iXn6N3TNbe77Z81x6