Indonesian Ebony, black ebony, makassar-ebenholts
Diospyros celebica

Family: Ebenaceae

What it is like

Indonesian Ebony or Diospyros celebica is a flowering tree that reaches up to 40 m high upon maturity. It has a cylindrical buttressed bole of up to 150 cm in diameter. It is endemic to Indonesia, particularly in the island of Sulawesi. Due to this, it is also known as Makassar Ebony which is based on the main seaport of the island, Makassar. The wood is highly valuable and usually exported. It is used for turnery, cabinets, posts, musical instruments, etc. The fruit is edible.

Diospyros celebica is an evergreen Tree growing to 30 m (98ft) by 30 m (98ft) 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 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.

Height (m): 30

Where it is found

Rain forest and monsoon forest at elevations from sea level to 540 metres.

Southeast Asia - eastern Indonesia.

Conservation Status: Status: Vulnerable A1cd

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Indonesia, SE Asia,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

Fruit.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 4

Other Uses: A very hard wood, the basic colour is black with brown lines, soft fibre and naturally shiny. Ebony is a luxurious wood with high decorative and commercial value, it is commonly used for wood carving, furniture, house utensils, interior accessories, and building material. 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: 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. 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.

Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

How it is grown

A plant of the humid lowlands, where it is found at elevations up to 540 metres. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperature is between 22 - 28°c and the mean annual rainfall is 2,000 - 2,500mm. Succeeds on various soil types - calcareous, clay and shallow stony soils. It prefers relatively nutrient rich soil and is sensitive to water-logging. The tree can commence flowering and fruiting when 5 - 7 years old from seed. We have seen no individual confirmation for this species, but in general Diospyros species are dioecious and require both male and female forms to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Propagating it: Seed - it 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 - 1.5 times 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. In one trial, fresh seed, sown one day after collection, showed 85% germination rate within 17 - 65 days. 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 .

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Slow

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

None

Synonyms

Santalum myrtifolium (L) Roxb. Santalum ovatum R.Br. Sirium myrtifolium L.