Diospyros Ebenum seed
LATIN NAME: DIOSPYROS EBENUM
COMMON NAME: Ebony, Indian Ebony
The Diospyros ebenum, or ebony, is one of the most valuable and famous of the timber trees, and its dense, black, heartwood which has been prized for thousands of years and its glossy, dark-green leaves have made it a tree of the tropical forests and the woodworking traditions across the regions of the South Asia and the southeast Asia. It grows as a medium-sized to large, evergreen tree of the ebony family, reaching up to twenty metres or more, with the smooth, grey bark and the dense, rounded crown bearing alternate, glossy, dark-green, oval leaves, and bearing, in the warm months, the small, white, fragrant flowers, followed by the small, round, green fruits which turn black when ripe. It is a species of the flowering tree, native to the tropical forests of the South Asia and the southeast Asia, while it has been valued for its dense, black, heartwood for thousands of years, and it is known as the ebony or the Indian ebony.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The ebony has a real and distinguished place in research. It has been studied in the forestry and the timber science, since the Diospyros ebenum is one of the most valuable and dense timbers in the world, and the researchers have examined its wood, its properties and its many uses, while the study of the tropical timber trees has drawn attention in the international forestry and materials press. The plant has also been studied in the chemistry and the natural-products science, since the ebony contains a range of compounds in its wood and its bark, and the researchers have examined its constituents and its composition, while the study of the ebony family plants has been of continuing interest. The species has also been studied in the ecology and the conservation, since it is a tree of the tropical forests and its populations are affected by the over-logging and the habitat loss, and its conservation has been examined, while the dense, black heartwood and the glossy leaves of the ebony have been of interest to the botanists and the woodworkers. For a tree of such value, the Diospyros ebenum has a rich and distinguished record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
To grow the Ebony from seed, the ebony is a medium-sized to large, evergreen tree of the tropical forests, bearing the glossy, dark-green leaves and the small, white, fragrant flowers, followed by the black fruits. Its fruits are a food for the birds and the wildlife of the tropical forest, and its dense, evergreen crown gives a fine shade in the tropical landscape, while its dense, black heartwood is one of the most valuable timbers in the world. Its economic value is real but complex: the ebony is prized for its dense, black, heartwood used for the fine woodworking and the musical instruments, and its value has drawn attention in the international forestry and materials press, while the slow growth and the over-logging have made it a tree of conservation concern, and the tree is best appreciated as a subject of study and a rare ornamental for the tropical garden. To raise the ebony, sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a warm, bright place, keep them gently watered, and grow the little trees on in the warmth.
sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a warm, bright place, keep the young ebony gently watered, and grow the little trees on in the warmth.
Diospyros ebenum
A popular tree, the ebony tree, referred to as “Ceylon ebony” for the trees found in Sri Lanka, is also found in south India and Indonesia. The scientific name of the plant is Diospyros ebenum and it belongs to the family Ebenaceae. Laws in both Sri Lanka and India prohibit the international trade of this particular wood. Known also as “Ebony” in English, this plant is used in the timber industry and it was a popular type of wood in areas where carpentry is practiced on a large-scale basis.
The ebony tree reaches 100 feet but a majority of the ebony trees of Sri Lanka are much shorter than this figure. As its name suggests, its wood is black or grey-black in colour. The fruit of this species of plant is 2 cm in diameter and it is regarded as a type of berry. Parts of the tree is also used for medicine in certain areas of Asia. According to BIOTIK, a project that provides information on biodiversity and taxonomy, Ceylon ebony is a type of canopy tree that grows in dry evergreen forests. These trees can be easily seen at Udawalawe National Park, especially along the river bank.
Buds
Flowers and shoot buds are found in the leaf axils. Buds of the male flowers are clustered in short cymes. Howard and Norlindh [19] observed densely pubescent young buds and less pubescent older buds on the specimens collected by Koenig during his trips to Ceylon; however, no flora guide known to the author makes this observation.
Leaves
The leaves are alternate, oblong to elliptic, 6–10 cm long and 3–5 cm broad, thinly coriaceous, glabrous with a rounded to acute base. The apex is (sub)acute to obtuse and the veins are minutely reticulate, raised and conspicuous on both surfaces, while the mid-vein is clearly visible. The petiole is up to 0.5 cm long [5, 26]. Fresh leaves are bright green and shiny
Fruits
The fruits are globose berries with a short, apical break, measuring 1.5–2 cm across. The calyx forms a shallow wooden cup and is reflexed [5, 26]. Each fruit contains 3–6 seeds. When old, the fruit dries and turns grey.
Wood
A clear distinction can be observed between the sapwood and heartwood of the species, although the relative proportions of both vary greatly. The proportion of heartwood in the trunk declines with increasing soil quality [6]. The trunks of individuals growing on deep soil have 14–35 % heartwood while data for rocky soil are not available. The light coloured, soft sapwood is not of much use. D. ebenum is the only species that produces entirely black heartwood, but the process of pigmentation is slow and irregular. Howard and Norlindh mention that, during his visit, Koenig was shown by a local forester how the status of pigmentation was checked by drilling through the sapwood into the heartwood [6, 20]. The heartwood, if fully pigmented, is absolutely dark (jet black) and produces very fine sawdust. According to Broun, dried wood has a weight of 1.2–1.4 t/m3 [6]. Dahms [9] provides the same figures for his general description of wood properties for black wood-producing Diospyros species. As a detailed description of other wood properties for D. ebenum could not be found by the authors of this monograph, Dahms description is used here. The black heartwood can show a deep blue tone and the pores are often filled fully with black pigments, which makes them almost invisible on the surface. The orientation of the fibres is irregular. Figures for the chemical composition of the wood are available only for Diospyros celebica, which has 41 % pure cellulose, 48 % lignin and 17 % pentose.
Common Name
Span.: El ébano French: Ébène German: Ebenholz Hindi: Kendhu Tamil: Karunkaali, Solaikarimaram, Thumaraam, Velleithuvarai, Vellathovarai Telugu: Tuki