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Summary
Diospyros quaesita is a large tree endemic to Sri Lanka. It produces a super luxury class wood that is hard, greyish brown, and variegated with broad or narrow belts of black. It has no edible part but the heartwood is used medicinally to treat wounds.
Physical Characteristics
Diospyros quaesita is an evergreen Tree growing to 30 m (98ft) by 20 m (65ft) at a slow rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
UK Hardiness Map
US Hardiness Map
Synonyms
No synonyms are recorded for this name.
Plant Habitats
Edible Uses
References More on Edible Uses
Medicinal Uses
Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Skin
The heartwood is used to heal wounds[ 338 ].
References More on Medicinal Uses
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Other Uses
Furniture Wood
Other Uses: The wood is hard, greyish brown, variegated with broad or narrow belts of black. A beautifully marked heartwood, it is used in high-end applications such as ornamental cabinet work, furniture, carvings, musical instruments[ 146 , 719 ]. 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:-[ 721 ] 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[ 721 ]. 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[ 721 ].
Special Uses
References More on Other Uses
Cultivation details
A large tree that naturally occurs in the evergreen forests of lowland wet zones. Slow growing for a high-value timber but could be combined with faster growing products such as cardamon, fishtail palm and rattan. Diospyros species are dioecious and require both male and female forms to be grown if fruit and seed are required[ 899 ].
References Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information
Temperature Converter
Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:
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Plant Propagation
Seed - in general the seed of Diospyros species 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 - 1.5x 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[ 325 ]. 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 [ 652 ].
Other Names
If available other names are mentioned here
Native Range
Coming Soon
Weed Potential
Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section.
Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : Status: Vulnerable A1cd
Related Plants
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Latin Name | Common Name | Habit | Height | Hardiness | Growth | Soil | Shade | Moisture | Edible | Medicinal | Other |
Diospyros celebica | Indonesian Ebony, black ebony, makassar-ebenholts | Tree | 30.0 |
10-12
| S | LMH | N | M | 2 | 0 | 4 |
Diospyros conzattii | Zapote negro mont's, zapotillo. | Tree | 10.0 |
10-12
| S | LMH | N | DM | 4 | 0 | 2 |
Diospyros crassiflora | Benin Ebony | Tree | 15.0 |
10-12
| S | LMH | N | M | 0 | 2 | 4 |
Diospyros digyna | Black Sapote, Chocolate Pudding Tree | Tree | 15.0 |
10-12
| S | LMH | SN | M | 4 | 1 | 2 |
Diospyros ebenum | Ebony, Ceylon Ebony, Mauritius Ebony, Ebony Persimmon | Tree | 20.0 |
10-12
| S | LMH | N | M | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Diospyros kaki | Persimmon, Japanese persimmon | Tree | 12.0 |
7-10
| M | LMH | SN | M | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Diospyros lotus | Date Plum | Tree | 9.0 |
7-9
| M | LMH | SN | M | 5 | 1 | 2 |
Diospyros malabarica | Indian Persimmon, Gaub, Timbiri, Mountain ebony | Tree | 35.0 |
10-12
| S | LMH | FSN | M | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Diospyros mespiliformis | West African Ebony, Monkey guava, jackalberry | Tree | 20.0 |
10-12
| M | LMH | N | M | 4 | 3 | 4 |
Diospyros mun | Mun Ebony, Vietnamese Ebony | Tree | 15.0 |
10-12
| S | LMH | N | DM | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Diospyros tessellaria | Black ebony, Mauritian ebony | Tree | 15.0 |
10-12
| S | LMH | N | M | 2 | 0 | 4 |
Diospyros texanum | Black Persimmon | Tree | 12.0 |
-
| | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Diospyros virginiana | American Persimmon, Common persimmon, Persimmon | Tree | 20.0 |
4-8
| M | LMH | SN | M | 5 | 1 | 3 |
|
Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.
Expert comment
Author
Thwaites
Botanical References
Links / References
For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.
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Subject : Diospyros quaesita
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