DIOSPYROS WIGHTIANA. (Nat. order Ebenaoe^.) 



For Geu. Char, see under " D. Ebenum." 



DlOSPYROS WlGHTIANA. (Wall.) Arboreous, young parts and inflorescence densely velvetty with golden or rust 

 colored down, leaves alternate and opposite oblong or oval acute or obtuse or sometimes cordate at the base densely velvetty beneath, 

 less so or glabrescent above 3-7 inches long by l\ to 3 broad, petioles^ to 1 inch long velvetty, male flowers on small cymose peduncles 

 which are the length of or longer than the petioles and densely velvetty bearing 6-9 flowers on 2-3 pedicels, calyx tubular slightly 4-5, 

 cleft at the apes, teeth sharp erect, corol tubular 4-5 lobed at the very apes, lobes acute, stamens about 13 seated on the disk, no rudi- 

 ment of an ovary, female flowers solitary on thick peduncles which are bracteated at the apex and much shorter than the petioles, calyx 

 deeply 4-5 lobed with the lobes acute and reflexed at the margin outwards, corol about twice as long as the calyx, tubular 4-5 lobed 

 at the apex glabrous within and outside at the base, lobes acute, stamens 8-10 sterile seated on the disk, ovary 4 celled, styles 2 each 2 

 cleft, fruit large edible. DG. Vol. viii, p. 223. 



This tree is common in most of our dry forests, and until 1 examined it critically I always considered it the D. melanoxylon, which 

 species I have not met with if distinct from this, hut this has always a 4 celled ovary, and quite answers to the description of D. Wighliana as 

 given in Be Candolle's Prodromu-s ; its heart wood yields a jet black ebony Vice the two former, but the trees are alioays small and stunted 

 in the trunk, as far as I have observed, and all ebony in log I believe comes from the two former species. It is called Tendu in Hindustani, and 

 TunH Tumi and Tumbi in Tamil and Telugu ; it sheds its leaves in the cold season, and they appear again with the flowers yearly in the hot 

 season. 



The plate gives a flowering branch of the female tree, and a flowering twig of the male, and dissections of both male and female flower ■«. 



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