Diospyros malabarica (PROSEA)

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Plant Resources of South-East Asia
Introduction

List of species

Diospyros malabarica (Descr.) Kostel.

Protologue: Allg. med.-pharm. Flora 1: 1099 (1834).

Synonyms

Diospyros glutinifera Roxb. (1795),
Diospyros embryopteris Pers. (1807),
Diospyros globularia (Miq.) Koord. & Valeton (1898).

Vernacular names

Malabar ebony (En)
Indonesia: culiket (Sundanese), kledung (Javanese), klakur (Timor)
Malaysia: kayu arang, kamoi bukit, kumun (Peninsular). Burma (Myanmar): plab, tako suam
Cambodia: tang kor
Laos: küa namz, hnang hèèwx, lang dam
Thailand: tako-suan (northern), tako-thai (general), phlap (peninsular)
Vietnam: thi dâù heo, cuỡm thi.

Distribution

India, Sri Lanka, Burma (Myanmar), Indo-China, Thailand, PeninsularMalaysia, Sumatra, Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands and Sulawesi.

Uses

The wood is used as streaked ebony, but is apparently of limited value; it is used for boat building and construction. The seeds furnish a valuable astringent which is used as a medicine against diarrhoea and chronic dysentery. The young fruits contain tannin used for dyeing nets and clothes. They also furnish a gum which is used for caulking boats and as a glue. Ripe fruits are edible.

Observations

A medium-sized to fairly large tree up to 37 m tall, bole up to 80 cm in diameter, fluted in old trees, bark surface rough, scaly, black, inner bark dark beefy red.
Leaves elliptical or ovate to oblong, 9-30 cm × 2.5-9.5 cm, base slightly cuneate to subcordate, apex obtuse to acuminate, glabrous, tertiary venation reticulate, prominent above.
Male flowers in 3-7-flowered cymes, 4(-5)-merous, stamens 24-64; female flowers solitary or rarely up to 5-flowered, 4(-5)-merous, calyx lobes valvate-plicate, velutinous outside, sericeous inside, corolla divided to one-quarter, staminodes 4-12, ovary with 4 styles and 8-12 uni-ovulate locules
Fruit globose, 2.5-5 cm across, velutinous but glabrescent.

The taxonomy of D. malabarica is still confused. Two varieties may be distinguished: var. malabarica and var. siamensis (Hochr.) Phengklai (synonym: Diospyros siamensis Hochr.). D. malabarica is often found along streams and rivers, up to 300(-650) m altitude. The density of the wood is about 800 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content.

Selected sources

42, 104, 120, 234, 369, 457, 575, 676, 705, 734.