On 2009-11-15 22:51:40 +0000, brafield said:

I bought a persimmon tree years ago as an ornamental, (I'm in BC,
Canada, near the 49th parallel, so its fruit would not ripen here).

The tree produces a heavy crop each year, but my "persimmons" don't
look much like the ones I occasionally see in stores. Here is a link
to a high-res photo: http://www.oldstox.com/images/persimmons.jpg

The fruit are pear-shaped, heavy and firm, and have a downy fuzz over
a yellow skin. Are they indeed a variety of persimmon? Thanks for any
help.

Do a Google image search on Cydonia oblonga or quince (NOT Chaenomeles
aka Japanese quince) I think your fruit might be those. They're best
when cooked. What do the flowers look like? And is the fruit
perfumed? It might not be if it doesn't fully ripen with you. I'm not
sure about this but they do look and sound very like Cydonia.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon