Diospyros buxifolia

(Blume) Hiern

Peacock ebony tree

Ebenaceae Edible: Fruit 104 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Diospyros buxifolia is a tree in the family Ebenaceae. It grows up to 30 metres (100 ft) tall. Inflorescences bear up to five flowers. The fruits are ellipsoid, up to 1.6 cm (1 in) long. The specific epithet buxifolia is from the Latin, referring to the leaves' resemblance to those of the genus Buxus. Habitat is forests from sea level to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) altitude. D. buxifolia is found widely from India to Indochina and in Malesia as far as New Guinea.

Description

A tree. It grows 20-30 m tall. The trunk can be 70 cm across. The leaves are papery. They are dull green underneath and can be hairy. They are 1-5 cm long by 1-2 cm wide. The base of the leaves is wedge shaped. The male flowers are in groups of 5 and the female flowers occur singly. The fruit are oval and 2 cm long. The seeds are dark brown.

Edible Uses

The fruit are edible, though they are dry in texture.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are edible but dry.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows from sea level to 1,000 m above sea level. It grows in wet and dry evergreen forests.

Where It Grows

Asia, Cambodia, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Malesia, Papua New Guinea, PNG, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown by seeds. They can also be grown by air-layering.

Propagation

Seed - it has a very short viability and so should be sown as soon as possible. The flesh should be removed since this contains germination inhibitors. Sow the seed in a shady position in a nursery seedbed. The sowing media for ebony uses soil and fine sand at the ratio 3:1. The seed is planted horizontally or vertically with the radicle end down, with a sowing depth of 1 - 1½ times the thickness of seed. Distance between the seeds is 3 - 5cm. Seeds are very sensitive to desiccation during germination and early growth, so must be regularly watered at this time. Normally the seed will germinate after one week. In one trial, fresh seed, sown one day after collection, showed 85% germination rate within 17 - 65 days. As a rule fresh seeds have a high percentage of fertility. The seedlings develop long taproots at an early stage, often before any appreciable elongation of the shoot takes place. The growth of the seedling is decidedly slow .

Other Uses

The heartwood is jet black, but small and often defective; it is clearly demarcated from the sapwood, which is almost white or with a faint reddish tinge, but almost invariably changing shortly after felling to an even, bluish gray, as if stained with dilute ink. The heartwood is heavy, very hard and brittle. It is used for poles and posts. We do not have any more specific information for this species. However, though varying widely in the relative proportion and the colouring of sapwood and heartwood, all the woods of the genus Diospyros are practically indistinguishable as regards their structure, as described below:- Whether or not a given species produces heartwood depends largely on the size the tree has attained, but evidently also on other conditions, as there is a wide variation in the relative amounts of sapwood and heartwood even in individuals of the same species. When produced, the heartwood can be black with rosy, yellowish, brownish, or ashy streaks, sometimes it is nearly or totally black; it is generally sharply demarcated from the thin to very wide band of whitish, yellowish, or red sapwood. The texture is fine, smooth and (especially in the heartwood) very dense; the grain is generally very straight. The wood is hard to very hard; heavy to very heavy; the sapwood is tough and flexible whilst the heartwood is brittle; the heartwood is very durable, the sapwood moderately so. It is difficult to season well, logs almost invariably checking in several directions from the heart outward, while sawn lumber must be stacked carefully and weighted to prevent warping; once thoroughly dried, however, it becomes very stable. Its density makes it difficult to work, but it takes a beautiful surface under sharp tools. Small trees containing little or no heartwood are used locally for posts, beams, joists, rafters, window sills, parts of agricultural implements, etc.; also, in lumbering, small poles are used for skids on account of their hardness, toughness and smooth wearing qualities. The heartwood (or sometimes sap and heart together) is used for scabbards, canes, hilts, tool handles, gunstocks, saw frames, etc.; it is a favorite for musical instruments, especially finger boards and keys of guitars; furniture, cabinetwork, inlaying; paper weights, inkstands and similar desk supplies; the sapwood, which is almost as hard as the heartwood and very much tougher, is an excellent material for T-squares and other drawing instruments, for shuttles, bobbins, spindles, golf-club heads and shafts, axe, pick, and hammer handles, etc.

Synonyms

Diospyros elegantissima Bakh.Diospyros microphylla Bedd.Diospyros munda HiernEbenus buxifolia (Blume) KuntzeLeucoxylum buxifolium BlumeMaba elegans Ridl.