Diospyros is a genus of over 700 species of deciduous and evergreentrees and shrubs. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. Individual species valued for their hard, heavy, dark timber, are commonly known as ebony trees, while others are valued for their fruit and known as persimmon trees. Some are useful as ornamentals and many are of local ecological importance. Species of this genus are generally dioecious, with separate male and female plants.[2]
Taxonomy and etymology
The generic name Diospyros comes from a Latin name for the Caucasian persimmon (D. lotus), derived from the Greek διόσπυρος : dióspyros, from diós (Διός) and pyrós (πῡρός). The Greek name literally means "Zeus's wheat" but more generally intends "divine food" or "divine fruit".[3][4]
The genus is a large one and the number of species has been estimated variously, depending on the date of the source. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, list has over 1000 entries, including synonyms and items of low confidence. Over 700 species are marked as being assigned with high confidence.[5]
The oldest fossils of the genus date to the Eocene, which indicate by that time Diospyros was widely distributed over the Northern Hemisphere.[6]
The green fruits are avoided by most herbivores, perhaps because they are rich in tannins. When ripe, they are eagerly eaten by many animals however, such as (in East Africa) the rare Aders' duiker (Cephalophus adersi). The foliage is used as food by the larvae of numerous Lepidoptera species:
The genus includes several plants of commercial importance, either for their edible fruit (persimmons) or for their timber (ebony). The latter are divided into two groups in trade: the pure black ebony (notably from D. ebenum, but also several other species), and the striped ebony or calamander wood (from D. celebica, D. mun and others). Most species in the genus produce little to none of this black ebony-type wood; their hard timber (e.g. of American persimmon, D. virginiana) may still be used on a more limited basis.
^Akagi, Takashi; Kajita, Kei; Kibe, Takanori; Morimura, Haruka; Tsujimoto, Tomoyuki; Nishiyama, Soichiro; Kawai, Takashi; Yamane, Hisayo; Tao, Ryutaro (2013). "Development of Molecular Markers Associated with Sexuality in Diospyros lotus L. and Their Application in D. kaki Thunb". Journal of the Japanese Society for Horticultural Science. 83 (3): 214–221. doi:10.2503/jjshs1.CH-109. hdl:2433/191079.
^Tice, John. H. "Essay on the Diospyros virginiana" Annual report / Missouri State Horticultural Society 1864.
^"Diospyros". The Plant List. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
^Denk, Thomas; Bouchal, Johannes M. (2021-07-03). "Dispersed pollen and calyx remains of Diospyros (Ebenaceae) from the middle Miocene "Plant beds" of Søby, Denmark". GFF. 143 (2–3): 292–304. Bibcode:2021GFF...143..292D. doi:10.1080/11035897.2021.1907443. ISSN 1103-5897. S2CID 237648462.
^The Nature Conservancy – Hawaiʻi Operating Unit (March 2004). "Kānepuʻu Preserve Lānaʻi, Hawaiʻi Long-Range Management Plan Fiscal Years 2005–2010" (PDF). Hawaii Department of Land & Natural Resources Natural Area Partnership Program: 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-16. Retrieved 2009-04-09. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^Paun, Ovidiu; Turner, Barbara; Trucchi, Emiliano; Munzinger, Jérôme; Chase, Mark W.; Samuel, Rosabelle (March 2016). "Processes Driving the Adaptive Radiation of a Tropical Tree ( Diospyros , Ebenaceae) in New Caledonia, a Biodiversity Hotspot". Systematic Biology. 65 (2): 212–227. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syv076. ISSN 1063-5157. PMC 4748748. PMID 26430059.