Diospyros ferrea

Diospyros ferrea
Conservation status
Not evaluated (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ebenaceae
Genus: Diospyros
Species: D. ferrea
Binomial name
Diospyros ferrea
(Willd.) Bakh.
Synonyms
  • Pisonia buxifolia Rottb.
  • Maba buxifolia (Rottb.) Juss.
  • Diospyros ferrea var. buxifolia (Rottb.) Bakh.

Diospyros ferrea, known as Black ebony, is a tree in the Ebony family, distributed in Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malay Peninsula, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Laos (Khammouan).

Common names

Distribution

From West Africa to India, Indo-China, north to the Ryukyu Islands, east to the Malesian area, Australia, Melanesia and Polynesia.

Appearance

Trees with black bark, exudates absent. Leaves veins distinctly arching and anastomosing at margin, visible on mature leaves only. Flowers unisexual on different trees. Flower calyx with 3 green sepals 3, green, persistent in fruit.

Habitat

It is an evergreen shrub or small tree up to 12 m high, branches ascending. In the trunk, bole is straight. Bark fissured, blackish, and lenticelled.

Morphology

Leaves are simple, alternate and distichous, about 3-11 by 1.5-7 cmin length, shape is oblong or elliptic or obovate. Apex is acute; base is acute to attenuate or slightly rounded. Margin is entire, blade coriaceous, glabrous on both sides. Midrib of the leaf is flat above, primary vein is single, secondary veins are oblique to the midrib, widely parallel, tertiary veins are oblique. Petiole pubescent later glabrescent. Stipule absent.

Uses

The wood is said to be used for cabinet work. The bark can be used to make a cordage. D. ferrea is reported to be an important source of black ebony, but this is doubtful because of the unsatisfactory taxonomy of the group involved.

References

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    External resources