On the positive side D. v. is said (vs. D. k.) to be more cold hardy, more soil forgiving especially on droughty soils, and have somewhat less of a taproot problem.

On the negative side, it is said to have a small but notable and widely consistent percentage of later fatal failure of the supported D. k. trees. It is also susceptible to certain fatal persimmon diseases here, perhaps especially a root rot (though maybe D. k. is too).

D. kaki on D. kaki rootstock would seem to be less prone to any incompatibility problems and perhaps others, and in a yard situation soil and water conditions can be rectified more easily than in orchards. Seedling taproots are easily managed.

So why D. v. almost exclusively in the east? This is particularly puzzling if the early death phenomenon happens to be compatibility related.

And what is the problem in the eastern US with D. lotus? If it is just cold tolerance it may still be fine for the south.

I wonder what killed the thousands of Asian persimmon trees that dotted the southern US about 100 years ago and less. I rarely see or read about very old ones (though apparently some of Dr. Smith's were alive many decades later; are they still?).