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Diospyros tessellaria - Poir.

Common Name Black ebony, Mauritian ebony
Family Ebenaceae
USDA hardiness 10-12
Known Hazards None known
Habitats A dominant component of lowland evergreen forest and upland rainforest in the southwest and eastern mountain ranges[ 338 ].
Range Africa - Mauritius.
Edibility Rating    (2 of 5)
Other Uses    (4 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Tender Moist Soil Full sun
Diospyros tessellaria Black ebony, Mauritian ebony


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Diospyros tessellaria Black ebony, Mauritian ebony
https://edibleplants.org/

 

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Summary

Diospyros tessellaria or commonly known as Mauritian Ebony or Black Ebony is an evergreen shrub or small tree about 20 m in height that can be found in Africa. Its leaves are thick and dark green in colour. Flowers and fruits are small. Its bark and heartwood are black while its sapwood is white. It produces a high quality timber used for musical instruments, small pieces of furniture and in marquetry.


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of cone
Diospyros tessellaria is an evergreen Tree growing to 15 m (49ft) by 15 m (49ft) at a slow rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bats.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Diospyros reticulata Willd. [Illegitimate]

Habitats

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit
Edible Uses:

Fruit[ 511 ].

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.


None known

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Furniture  Wood

Other Uses: A high quality timber, known as 'Mauritius Ebony' is obtained from the tree[ 46 ]. The bark is black, the sapwood is white and the heartwood black. The wood is used to manufacture keys of musical instruments, small pieces of furniture and in marquetry.

Special Uses

Attracts Wildlife

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Tolerates both dry lowland areas and upland wet rainforest. Now rarely coastal. A canopy tree that was exploited on a large scale during the Dutch occupation of Mauritius in the 17th century. You may have to wait 50 years to harvest the black infamous heartwood. Prefers temperatures no less than 54 F. In general 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:

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Propagation

Seed - it has a very short viability and so should be sown as soon as possible[ 325 ]. The flesh should be removed since this contains germination inhibitors[ 325 ]. 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[ 325 ]. 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[ 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

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Found In

Countries where the plant has been found are listed here if the information is available

Mauritius

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 B1+2cde

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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.

 

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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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