9 2 Ebenacece. {Diospyros. 



beneath and with prominent venation, petiole ^ in.; fl. sessile, 

 in sessile clusters in axils of fallen 1., fern, sometimes solitary, 

 larger; cal. hairy, segm. 5 (or 4), obtuse or rounded; cor.- 

 tube inflated, lobes 4 or 5, shorter than tube, acute ; male 

 fl. : — stam. 14-20, slightly unequal; rudimentary ov. conical; 

 fem. fl. :— staminodes 1-7 usually 4; ov. hairy, 4-celled, stigmas 

 2, reniform ; fruit globose, rather small, about 4 in., glabrous, 

 glaucous-green, segm. of enlarged cal. thick, reflexed, densely 

 tomentose on both sides ; seed usually solitary, globose, en- 

 dosperm equable. 



Low country in the dry region ; rather common. Also in the moist 

 region 2000-4000 ft.; rare, e. g.^ Hevvahette, and between HaldummuUa 

 and Haputale. First found by Moon at TrincomaUe. Fl. Jan. -April ; 

 cream-coloured. 



Also in S. India. 



Heart-wood brown streaked with black, very inferior to true Ebony. 



2. 1>. montana, Roxb. Cor. PL i. 37 (1795). l*Iulkarunkali, 

 Katukanni, Vakkana, T. 



Thw. Enum. 423 and {D. cordifolia) 178. Hiern, Mon. 220. C. P. 



1909 {i\ lllA (?)• _ , , 



Fl. B. Ind. iii. 555. Wight, Ic. t. 1225 ; 111. t. 148 {D. cordifoha). 



A small tree, bark yellowish-grey, smooth, young parts 

 glabrous or pubescent, branchlets sometimes contracted into 

 sharp spines; 1. small, ii-3 in., oval- or lanceolate-oblong, 

 rounded or subcordate (rarely acute) at base, obtuse or 

 rounded at apex, usually glabrous, sometimes pubescent 

 beneath or on both sides, thin, venation inconspicuous, petiole 

 I in., slender ; fl. rather small, fem. larger, on short glabrous 

 or pubescent ped., the male in stalked clusters of 3, the fem. 

 solitary, axillary or on lower part of twigs below the 1. ; cal.- 

 segm. 4, rounded, nearly glabrous; cor. urceolate, lobes 4, 

 shorter than tube; male fl. : — stam. 16, nearly equal; fem. fl.: 

 — staminodes 4, ov. conical, glabrous, 8-celled, stigmas 4 ; 

 fruit small about ^ in., depre.ssed-globose, apiculate, glabrous, 

 shining, cherry-red passing into brownish-black, enlarged cal. 

 reflexed; seeds 3-6, ~ in. long, roughish, black, endosperm 

 equable. 



Dry region ; rather common. Jaffna; Matalan ; TrincomaUe; Vavu- 

 niya ; Puttalam ; Mannar. Fl. March. 



Throughout India, Malaya, Burma, Trop. Australia. 



Often has spines, whence the first Tamil name. The specific name is 

 unfortunate, as the tree has no tendency to ascend into the hills, and the 

 bynonym J), cordifolia, Ro.xb. (of the same date) is preferable. The 

 leaves dry blackish. Has a black heart-wood. Possibly 2 species here. 

 The tree wilii pubescent 1. and thorns seems to have a much smaller fruit, 

 and was called ' Karuntali ' at Mannar. 



