Diospyros poncei (PROSEA)
Introduction |
Diospyros poncei Merr.
- Protologue: Philipp. Journ. Sci., Bot. 10: 335 (1915).
Vernacular names
- Philippines: Ponce's kamagong (general), balingagta (Cagayan), ituman (Suriago).
Distribution
The Philippines.
Uses
The wood is used as streaked ebony, e.g. for carvings and furniture.
Observations
A small to medium-sized tree up to 20 m tall, bole branchless for up to 8 m, up to 40 cm in diameter; leaves elliptical-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 4-15 cm × 1.2-4.5 cm, base cuneate to obtuse, apex acute to obtusely acuminate, sericeous below, tertiary venation densely reticulate, slightly prominent on both surfaces; male flowers in 1-3-flowered cymes, 4-merous, stamens 12; female flowers solitary, 4-merous, calyx lobes imbricate, sericeous outside, corolla divided to one-third, ovary with a single style and 4 uni-ovulate locules; fruit ovoid-globose, at least 2 cm in diameter, velutinous to sericeous. D. poncei occurs in primary forest, up to 900 m altitude. The density of the wood is about 1000 kg/m3at 15% moisture content.
Selected sources
42, 527.