CATALOGUE OF THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 73 



(a) Black wood (occasionally interspersed with wood of lighter 

 colour). 



Ceylon and India (" Bombay " : D. Ebenum, Koenig., and D. Melan- 



oxylon, Roxb.) ; in Ceylon the wood of these and other species 



when interrupted by light bands is sold as " bastard ebony." 

 Mauritius : D. Tesselaria, Poir. 

 West Africa (Gaboon, Lagos, Old Calabar, etc.) : D. Dendo, Welw., 



and D. mespiliformis, Hochst. 

 Zanzibar : D. mespiliformis, Hochst. 

 Madagascar : D. Perrieri, Jumelle, mainly, also D. haplostylis, Boiv., 



and D. microrhomhus, Hiem. 

 Philippines (also Indo-Malaya) : Maha buxifolia, Pers. The Indo- 



Malayan D. Ebenaster, Retz., may supply some of the black 



commercial ebony. 



(6) Streaked or patchy wood. 



Ceylon and India : Calamander or Coromandel wood : D. quaesita, 



Thw., streaked brown and black. (It is highly improbable that 



either D. kirsuta, Linn., or D. oppositifolia supplies- any " Cala- 

 mander " wood ; see Wright, op. cit.) 

 PhiUppines : " bolongata " and " camagoon," respectively D. 



pilosanthera, Blanco., and D. discolor., WiQd., often very similar 



to Calamander wood. 

 Andaman Islands : " Marble wood," D. Kurzii, Hiem., black with 



very light, often creamy white, stripes or patches. 

 Celebes : Macassar ebony ; a wood of unknown botanical origin, 



varying in appearance, often reddish-brown with black bands, 



but sometimes variegated with other tints. 

 Japan : Kaki or Japanese persimmon, D. Kaki, Linn. f. ; black 



with varying amounts of Ught or grey bands or patches. 

 North America : American persimmon wood, D. virginiana, Linn., 



light in colour with little or no black heart. 



Ebony, African. Diospyros Dendo, Welw. Weight, 78 lbs. West 

 Coast of Africa. 



The imports are from Old Calabar, Cameroon, Gaboon, Cape Lopez, 

 Ogowe, Burutu, and Niger. It is somewhat difficult to determine 

 between the respective merits of the various districts. The shipments 

 vary in quality, conditions, and colour. The wood is sent over in billets 

 and also in short logs with the centres left in ; the billets cire from about 

 5 to 10 inches wide, and from about 2 to 7 inches thick, the logs from 

 2 to 13 inches in diameter. Billets and logs are from 2 feet to perhaps 

 as much as 8 feet. The billets are pieces split and chopped out from 



