WRIGHT : THE GENUS DIOSPYROS 
description of each species. In Part I. the following arrange- • 
ment has been adopted 
I.—History. 
II.—Distribution in Ceylon. 
III.—Vegetative Characters. 
TV.—Anatomy; Timber Properties, &c. 
V.—Seedlings. 
VI. —Reproductive Organs. 
VII. —Affinity. 
I.—HISTORY. 
Diospyros is the largest and most important genus of the 
Ebenaceae, and since most papers dealing with this order 
contain a description of many of our species, it is necessary 
to trace the history of the literature on the whole subject to 
gain a better grasp of the general bearing of the particular 
species with which we are concerned. 
The accumulation of knowledge regarding the Ebenaceae 
has not been rapid, probably on account of the difficulty of 
obtaining representative material of a natural order so widely 
spread, and also in virtue of the comparatively unattractive 
nature of this group of plants. Though in 1753 Linnaeus 
published the names of a few species, no work of a repre¬ 
sentative kind was published until that of Hiern in 1873. 
During that interval the work consisted mainly of collecting 
and describing species, remarking on fossil forms and 
1 discussing the ebony yielded by this group 
ment and anatomy of the embryos and seedUngs. " eTel ° P ' 
