174 
WRIGHT : THE GENUS DIOSPYROS 
crude octarch exarch cylinder with protoxy lem groups joined 
by strongly lignified perimedullary zone. (See pi. XVII., 
fig. 5, 6). 
Timber when freshly felled is yellow or white with a 
variable but usually small quantity of black heartwood: 
inferior but often used for fancy work and buildings. The 
yellow colour (c/. D. Gardneri) is due to the preserving, in 
very small quantities, of brown pr yellow contents in the 
parenchymatous and tracheal elements. The medullary ray 
cells of the sapwood possess contents some of which show 
signs of disintegration and acquire a distinct colour in passing 
to the heartwood. The number of parenchymatous cells 
with such contents increases considerably from without 
inwards and in addition many of the vessels become partially 
filled with gum-resin of a yellow colour. (See pi. II., fig. 7). 
The differentiation of the elements is fairly regular ; the 
percentage number of fibres is rather high. This species is 
only rarely felled for its timber. The rings of growth are 
visible to the naked eye; sometimes they have a radial 
diameter of 1 mm. but occur at very irregular distances from 
one another. 
Uses.—The timber though inferior in quality is sometimes 
used in fancy work. The fruits when ripe are a trifle fleshy: 
they are occasionally eaten. 
Distribution rather rare and limited to the wet zone up 
to 4,000 feet; Hantana, Gangaruwa, Watagoda, Ekneligoda, 
Ambalawa, Sinha Raja forest. 
Also in S. India. 
Diospyros Melanoxylon Roxb. Cor. p. 36, t. 46 (1795). 
Kadumberiya, S. 
Alph. D. C. Prodr. VIII., p. 224 n. 7 (1884). FI. B. lnd, 
III., 564. 
Roxb. Cor. PI. t. 46. Hiern, Mon, Eben. 159. 
A medium-sized or large tree, evergreen, dioecious (poly¬ 
gamous?) ; bark deeply fissured in alternate grey and black 
layers, fissures running vertically for a great distance ; Id* 
