Diospyros

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2008)

Diospyros
Diospyros chloroxylon
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ebenaceae
Genus:	Diospyros L.
Species
450-500, see text
Synonyms
Cargillia R.Br. Cavanillea Desr. (non Medik.: preoccupied) Ebenus Kuntze (non L.: preoccupied) Embryopteris Gaertn. Guaiacana Duhamel (nom. illeg., nom. superfl.) Idesia Scop. (non Idesia Maxim., nom. conserv.) Maba J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. Mabola Raf. Macreightia A.DC. Noltia Thonn. Paralea Aubl. Pimia Seem. Rhaphidanthe Hiern ex Gürke Ropourea Aubl. Royena L. Tetraclis Hiern [1]

Diospyros is a genus of about 450-500 species of deciduous and evergreen trees. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. They are commonly known as ebony or persimmon trees.

Ecology

Diospyros species are important and conspicuous trees in many of their native ecosystems, such as lowland dry forests of the former Maui Nui in Hawaiʻi,^[2] Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests, Kathiarbar-Gir dry deciduous forests, Louisiade Archipelago rain forests, Madagascar lowland forests, Narmada Valley dry deciduous forests, New Guinea mangroves or South Western Ghats montane rain forests. The fruit are rich in tannins and thus avoided by most herbivores when unripe; when ripe they are eagerly eaten my many animals however, such as the rare Aders' Duiker (Cephalophus adersi).

The foliage is used as food by the larvae of numerous Lepidoptera species:

Arctiidae:

• Eupseudosoma aberrans
• Snowy Eupseudosoma (Eupseudosoma involutum)
• Hypercompe indecisa

Geometridae:

• Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata)

Lycaenidae:

• Quaker (Neopithecops zalmora)

Nymphalidae:

• Kihansi Charaxes (Charaxes khasianus), recorded on D. natalensis
• Redspot Duke (Dophla evelina), recorded on D. candolleana

Saturniidae:

• Luna Moth (Actias luna)
• Promethea Silkmoth (Callosamia promethea)
• Regal Moth (Citheronia regalis), recorded on American Persimmon (D. virginiana)

Tortricidae:

• Black Lyre Leafroller Moth (Cnephasia jactatana)

An economically significant plant pathogen infecting many Diospyros species – D. hispida, Kaki Persimmon (D. kaki), Date-plum (D. lotus), Texas Persimmon (D. texana), Coromandel Ebony (D. melanoxylon) and probably others – is the sac fungus Pseudocercospora kaki, which causes a leaf spot disease.

Use by humans

D. melanoxylon leaves are used to wrap beedi

Betulinic acid can be isolated from Diospyros leucomelas

The genus includes several plants of commercial importance, either for their edible fruit (persimmons) or for their timber. The latter are the two trade groups of ebony: the pure black ebony (notably from D. ebenum, but also several other species), and the striped ebony or Calamander wood (Makassar, Mun and others). Most species in the genus produce little to none of this black ebony-type wood; their timber (e.g. of American Persimmon, D. virginiana) may still be used on a more limited basis. Leaves of the Coromandel Ebony (D. melanoxylon) are used to roll South Asian beedi cigarettes. Several species are used in herbalism, and D. leucomelas yields the versatile medical compound betulinic acid. Though bees do not play a key role as pollinators, in plantations Diospyros may be of some use as honey plant. D. mollis, locally known as mặc nưa, is used in Vietnam to dye the famous black lãnh Mỹ A silk of Tân Châu district.

These trees are well-known in their native range, and consequently much used as floral emblems. In Indonesia, Makassar Ebony (D. celebica, known locally as eboni) is the provincial tree of Central Sulawesi, while ajan kelicung (D. macrophylla) is that of West Nusa Tenggara. The emblem of the Japanese island of Ishigaki is the Yaeyama kokutan (D. ferrea). In Thailand, the Gold Apple (D. decandra) is the provincial tree of Chanthaburi and Nakhon Pathom Provinces, while Black-and-white Ebony (D. malabarica) is that of Ang Thong Province. The name of the Thai district Amphoe Tha Tako literally means "District of the Diospyros pier" after a famous local gathering spot.

Species

Diospyros chloroxylon flowers

Gold Apple (D. decandra) fruit

Diospyros dichrophylla

D. ferrea, known as Yaeyama kokutan in Japan

D. geminata foliage and young fruit

D. rhombifolia is a deciduous species

D. whyteana twig with young fruit

American Persimmon (D. virginiana) flower

See also

• Adriaan van Royen
• Ebonol
• Tonewood

Footnotes

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Diospyros

• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) (1998): Germplasm Resources Information Network – Diospyros. Version of 1998-APR-28. Retrieved 2009-JAN-12.