We have recently published ‘Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions’: i.e. tropical and sub-tropical regions. We rely on regular donations to keep our free database going and help fund development of this and another book we are planning on food forest plants for Mediterranean climates. Please give what you can to keep PFAF properly funded. More >>>

Follow Us:

 

Diospyros quaesita - Thwaites

Common Name Calamander, kalu mediriya
Family Ebenaceae
USDA hardiness 10-12
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Infrequent in lowland wet evergreen forest and in dry forest[ 338 ].
Range E. Asia - southestern Sri Lanka.
Edibility Rating    (0 of 5)
Other Uses    (4 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (2 of 5)
Care (info)
Tender Well drained soil Moist Soil Full sun
Diospyros quaesita Calamander, kalu mediriya


Diospyros quaesita Calamander, kalu mediriya

 

Translate this page:

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

 icon of manicon of cone
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

None known

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

The Bookshop: Edible Plant Books

Our Latest books on Perennial Plants For Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens in paperback or digital formats.

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Tropical Plants

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

More
Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Temperate Plants

Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

More
PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital media.
More Books

PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital formats. Browse the shop for more information.

Shop Now

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:

Fahrenheit:

image

The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

Shop Now

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
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Diospyros celebicaIndonesian Ebony, black ebony, makassar-ebenholtsTree30.0 10-12 SLMHNM204
Diospyros conzattiiZapote negro mont's, zapotillo.Tree10.0 10-12 SLMHNDM402
Diospyros crassifloraBenin EbonyTree15.0 10-12 SLMHNM024
Diospyros digynaBlack Sapote, Chocolate Pudding TreeTree15.0 10-12 SLMHSNM412
Diospyros ebenumEbony, Ceylon Ebony, Mauritius Ebony, Ebony PersimmonTree20.0 10-12 SLMHNM124
Diospyros kakiPersimmon, Japanese persimmonTree12.0 7-10 MLMHSNM433
Diospyros lotusDate PlumTree9.0 7-9 MLMHSNM512
Diospyros malabaricaIndian Persimmon, Gaub, Timbiri, Mountain ebonyTree35.0 10-12 SLMHFSNM134
Diospyros mespiliformisWest African Ebony, Monkey guava, jackalberryTree20.0 10-12 MLMHNM434
Diospyros munMun Ebony, Vietnamese EbonyTree15.0 10-12 SLMHNDM004
Diospyros tessellariaBlack ebony, Mauritian ebonyTree15.0 10-12 SLMHNM204
Diospyros texanumBlack PersimmonTree12.0 -  LMHSNM203
Diospyros virginianaAmerican Persimmon, Common persimmon, PersimmonTree20.0 4-8 MLMHSNM513

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.

Readers comment

Add a comment

If you have important information about this plant that may help other users please add a comment or link below. Only comments or links that are felt to be directly relevant to a plant will be included. If you think a comment/link or information contained on this page is inaccurate or misleading we would welcome your feedback at [email protected]. If you have questions about a plant please use the Forum on this website as we do not have the resources to answer questions ourselves.

* Please note: the comments by website users are not necessarily those held by PFAF and may give misleading or inaccurate information.

To leave a comment please Register or login here All comments need to be approved so will not appear immediately.

Subject : Diospyros quaesita  
© 2010, Plants For A Future. Plants For A Future is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Charity No. 1057719, Company No. 3204567.