thanks for your interesting post, Kirt!

Just wanted to mention that persimmons do grow wild in the U. S. I believe
the latin name is 'Diospryos Americana'. There is a photo of wild
persimmons in the book, "Wild Plants for Survival in South Florida", by
the eminent ethno-botanist, the late Julia F. Morton.

Wild persimmons are very small and highly astringent unless fully ripe.
Morton reports that if one eats unripe wild persimmons, they can glue
together in the stomach and form a mass, a "bezoar", that must be surgically
removed.

(If any inaccuracies in the above - it is from memory; have not looked at
that entry in Morton for some time).

Also, re: seeds in bananas - see "Fruits of Warm Climates" by Julia F. Morton
(my favorite "fruit author" :-) ), for details. Some bananas can have
seeds, but it is rare and requires cross-pollination by wild bananas.

P.S. this is my 4th post for the day, since maelstrom.stjohns.edu rebooted last
night. Due to daily limit of 5 posts, I can make only one more today...

Regards,
Tom Billings
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