Black Ebony, Grey plum, Myrtle ebony
Diospyros pentamera

Family: Ebenaceae

What it is like

A medium sized tree. It grows 15-25 m high and spreads 5-10 m wide. The bark is dark brown and scaly. Young shoots have soft brown hairs. The leaves are 3-8 cm long by 1-2.5 cm wide. They are oval or sword shaped. They are leathery and dark green and shiny. They are paler or yellowish underneath. The male and female flowers are on separate branches on the same tree. The male flowers are 0.5 cm long and yellowish. They occur in clusters of 3-5. The female flowers are about 0.4 cm long and usually occur singly. The fruit is 1.2-1.5 cm wide. There are 2-5 seeds. They are angular.

There are about 485 species of Diospyros mostly in the tropics.

Where it is found

A tropical and subtropical plant. It grows in Queensland and New South Wales in Australia. They can grow in acid soils which are well drained and rich in organic matter. In tropical Queensland it grows between 400-1100 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia (country/location of origin)

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed which must be sown fresh. The flesh should be removed. Seeds can take several months to germinate.

Young plants are slow growing.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Cargillia arborea A. Cunn. ex Hiern; Cargillia pentamera F. Muell.; Maba pentamera (F. Muell.) F. Muell.;