Diospyros.'] EbenacecE. 9 5 



■of 3-6, buds linear tapering; cal.-segm. 4, shallow, rounded; 

 cor.-tube tubular, lobes 4, as long as tube, oblong, subacute; 

 stam, about 16, fil. very unequal, often connate in 2's or 3's, 

 anth. acuminate, white ; fern. fl. solitary, larger than male, 

 cal.-segm. 4, long, deflexed, staminodes 8, ovate; ov. glabrous, 

 8-celled, stigmas 4 ; fruit rather small, under | in., usually 

 depressed-globose, sometimes ovoid, apiculate, glabrous, en- 

 larged cal. forming a shallow woody cup from the back of 

 which project the large acute thickened segm. ; seeds 3-8, 

 f in., dull black, endosperm equable. 



Forests chiefly in the dry region (especially in the N.E. portion and 

 near Puttalam) ; common, and often gregarious. In the moist region 

 rarer and sporadic, extending up to 4000 ft., e. g:, Colombo ; Pasdun 

 Korale; Hiniduma; Hantane; Deltota, &c. Fl. March; pale greenish- 

 yellow. 



Also in S. India and Malaya. 



The leaves vary considerably in form and venation ; in the moist 

 region they are larger (often 6 in.) and more acuminate, and agree with 

 D. assimilis (Bedd. For. Rep. 1867, p. 20, t. i) from S. Canara. 



Though the heart-wood. Ebony, has been known from distant times, 

 the tree is not mentioned by Hermann, and the wood only by Burm. 

 (Thes. 91), who quotes from Grimm, ' Laboratorium Ceylanicum' (1679), 

 as to its medicinal virtues. In Rumph's Herb. Amboin. iii. 4, it is, 

 however, noted that Ebony trees are abundant about ' Trinkenemale,' and 

 this (1750) is the earliest record I find. Koenig first definitely distinguished 

 the tree botanically. 



Wood very heavy and hard, heart -wood large, jet black, or with some 

 narrow brownish streaks. No other species of Diospyros in Ceylon 

 affords a pure black heart-wood besides D. Ebeniim. 



A large export, though much less than formerly, takes place from 

 Trincomalie and other pons, and much goes to China, where it is 

 employed for the manufacture of the small black pipes used in smoking 

 opium. In 1893, out of a total export of 6381 cwt., no less than 2712 cwt. 

 were for China, and 2485 cwt. for the United Kingdom. 



6. D. pruriens, Dalz. i?i Kew Jotirn. Bot. iv. no (1852). 

 Thvv. Enum. 423. Hiern, Mon. Eben. 185. C. P. 2836. 

 Fl. B. Ind. iii. 553. Bedd. Ic. PI. Ind. Or. t. 129. 



A small tree, branchlets tomentose, young parts with 

 copious spreading bristly hair, 1. 2\-^ in., oblong-lanceolate, 

 rounded at base, shortly and bluntly acuminate, glabrous 

 when mature, previously with long yellow bristly hair on 

 midrib and margin and on veins beneath, thin, petiole short, 

 very bristly-hairy; fl. and fruit not seen. 



Moist low country; very rare. Gilimale, Sabaragamuwa, 1853 

 (Thwaites), not in flower; Marakelle Forest, Kuruwiti Korale (Lewis). 



In South-western India, common, according to Beddome. 



The Fl. B. Ind. excludes Thwaites' plant from this species, but does 

 not refer it to any other. 



The fruit is said to be covered with stinging fulvous hairs. 



