01/06/2024
I'd like to see a good snow this year! Do you check your persimmon seeds? I don't have a tree or I would.
It’s time for my 2024 Persimmon Winter Forecast! ❄️
According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the shapes of persimmon seed embryos indicate the upcoming winter conditions:
Fork = mild winter with minor snowfall
Spoon = lots of snow to shovel
Knife = cold wind that cuts like a knife
This year, my random sample got 2 forks (multiple points on tip), 7 spoons, and 1 knife from trees in Upstate South Carolina. So according to the folklore, I guess this winter I’ll have lots of snow to shovel, at least by SC standards. But remember that this forecast is very specific to the area around my persimmon trees, so I can’t vouch for its accuracy to your area. And don’t blame me for an inaccurate forecast, all I do is “read the seeds.” 😂
So why do the persimmon embryo shapes differ? In my experience, it seems to be determined by two factors. How well developed the two embryonic leaves (cotyledons) were when the seed was opened, and whether the cotyledons separated when the seed was split. If these seeds had been planted, the cotyledons would have been the first two leaves of the young persimmon tree.
Persimmon trees (Diospyros virginiana) are native to the southeastern US where they grow in woodland edges and fencerows. The orange fruits ripen from late summer to early fall. Raccoons, coyotes, and deer often eat persimmons after they fall to the ground. The seeds survive gut passage through raccoons and coyotes, dispersing the seeds to new habitats (and with some fertilizer!). The same cannot be said for white-tailed deer. Persimmons seeds consumed by deer do not survive passing through the digestive tract.🦝🦌
Have you ever done a Persimmon Seed Forecast?
