EBENACEAE
Morphological description
Woody, non-climbing. Bark black.
Leaves
Leaves simple, entire, penninerved, exstipulate; distichous, glandular below, often turning blackish upon drying, midrib sunken above.
Inflorescence
Inflorescence dioecious; fascicled, axillary.
Flowers
Flower calyx 3-5-lobed, accrescent in fruit, petals fused, contorted, with brown hairs; ovary superior, with 3 to several cells.
Fruit
Fruit a many-seeded berry.
Seed
Seeds with ruminate endosperm.
Different from: Annonaceae: twigs with longitudinal ridges, stellate medullary rays, leaves rarely glandular, flowers hermaphroditic. — Symplocaceae: leaves usually serrate, not distichous, often turning yellow upon drying; ovary inferior. — Sapotaceae: leaves rarely distichous, milky sap; flowers hermaphroditic.
Distribution: The family pantropical. In Malesia only Diospyros (incl. Maba), many species, mainly lowland rain forest.
Notes: Several species produce excellent hardwood, used for building and carving. — Some species have edible fruits. The fruits of many species are eaten by primates and other animals.
Literature: R.C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg III, 15 (1936- 1955) 1-515; F.S.P. Ng, Tree Fl. Mal. 3 (1978) 56-94.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Diospyros 25, 31, 52, 54, 59, 39, 70, 71, 73, 78, 79, 80, 83, 105; D. montana 12; D. toposia 55.
Illustrations: Fig. 56. Diospyros celebica Bakh.: a. flowering twig; b. fruit-bearing twig; c. flowers; d. fruits.
Image in PhytoImages for Ebenaceae