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Tropicals, Woody > Diospyros > Diospyros malabarica > Diospyros malabarica

Diospyros malabarica


Indian Persimmon, Gaub Tree, Malabar Ebony, Black-and-White Ebony, Pale Moon Ebony




Origin:  East Asia including India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Family
Ebenaceae
Genus
Diospyros
Species
malabarica
Category
Tropicals, Woody
Type
Tree (evergreen)
Synonyms
Diospyros biflora, Diospyros citrifolia, Diospyros embryopteris, Diospyros glutinifera, Diospyros glutinosa J.Koenig, Diospyros peregrina, Diospyros siamensis, Embryopteris gelatini
Canadian Hardiness Zone
Requires cold season protection under glass.
Height
5 - 37 metres
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
General Description
An evergreen tree with a much-branched, spreading crown; it can grow 15 - 37 metres tall.
Landscape
It is suitable for parks and streetscapes with its attractive new leaves that are pink in colour, as well as its dense conical crown.
Cultivation
Grow in rich, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade.
Shape
A dense conical crown.
Growth
Medium
Pests
Scale insects, spider mites, mealybugs, downy mildew, powdery mildew, rust leaf spots, and fungal root rot.
Habitat
Lowland rainforests along rivers and streams at elevations up to 300 metres. Often found in shady and wet sites near streams in the forest at elevations up to 500 metres.
Bark/Stem Description
Black, smooth, straight, cylindrical trunk can be unbranched for 10 - 20 metres and may be 70 cm in diameter. The inner bark turns bluish on exposure to sunlight.
Leaf Description
Alternate, stalked leaves are oblanceolate, 7-32 cm long, emerging pink in colour, and gradually turning beige then eventually to dark green.
Flower Description
The male flowers are formed in 3-5 flowered cymes in leaf axils. Female flowers are solitary, 4-parted, with 4 styles, and an 8-celled ovary.
Fruit Description
Round and yellow when ripe, up to 3.5 cm in diameter, and seated on a persistent sepal structure.
Notable Specimens
Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Royal Park Rajapruek, Mae Hia, Thailand.
Propagation
By seed.
Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer)
Unripe leaves and fruits were traditionally used to dye cloth black.
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