These very ornamental fruit trees are very popular throughout the world. Persimmons are prized for their dark green, tropical-looking foliage, their yellow, orange, and scarlet fall color, and their striking, large, delicious, bright orange fruits, which, in the case of Asian Persimmon, adorn the tree until well after the leaves have fallen. American Persimmon is hardy to minus 25°F. Asian Persimmon is is hardy to 0°F.

Most horticulturists, if not all, have considered it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to create a hybrid between American Persimmon (D. virginiana) and Asian Persimmon (D. kaki). The goal of such a breeding project was to combine the cold hardiness of the American Persimmon with the large fruit of the Asian Persimmon. The determined researchers at the Nikita Botanic Garden in Crimea succeeded in this effort and Nikita’s Gift™ is their crowning achievement.