Trees to 30 m tall. Trunk to 1.3 m d.b.h. Leaf blade glabrous or sometimes abaxially pubescent mainly on veins.

Thickets on slopes or in ravines; 500--2500 m. Anhui, Gansu, Guizhou, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Liaoning, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [SW Asia, W Asia, S Europe, naturalized in countries around the Mediterranean].

Fruit of Diospyros lotus are consumed fresh or preserved, used in Chinese traditional medicine, and brewed into wine or vinegar. Unripe fruit yield persimmon lacquer