This tree from China and Japan was introduced from ancient times in the West. The generic name comes from the Greek dios, divine and pyros, seed, thus seed of the gods, related to their edible fruits. It is grown in Spain since the late nineteenth century as an ornamental species and as a fruit tree. It is very well known for its delicious fruits similar to tomatoes, abundant in the orchards of the Andalusian mountains. It is also remarkable the variety of persimmons from the banks of the Júcar and Segura rivers from the peninsular Levante in Spain. The wood is of good quality, rough and tough and it is used to make guitars and other items. Several species of the genus Diospyros provide the so called ebony woods.