Family:
Ebenaceae Gürke

Diospyros L.

This genus is accepted, and its native range is Cosmopolitan.

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Trees or shrubs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves nearly always alternate, margin entire
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence usually cymose or in bundles or reduced to solitary flowers, axillary or from older wood
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female flowers usually larger than the male
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx very variable, 2–8-lobed or cup-shaped and entire, usually persistent and enlarging
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 3–8-lobed, very variable
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 2–100, included or exserted, solitary or united in pairs or larger groups, joined to corolla-tube or free to base; anthers (in Flora area) dehiscent by longitudinal slits
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistillodes
Pistillode variable, absent to well-developed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc
Disk well-developed to absent, sometimes with fringed margin
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Staminodes
Staminodes variable, absent to well-developed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary globose, ovoid or conical, glabrous or hairy, consisting of 3–8 carpels, each completely or incompletely divided by false septum
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Styles usually partly free, rarely completely united; stigmas usually fleshy and expanded
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit usually a 1–many-seeded berry, rarely a tardily dehiscent fleshy capsule
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed usually ellipsoid or shaped like a segment of an orange, very rarely subglobose, with 2 lines radiating from the apex.
Distribution
Over 700 species widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics, a few species in the warm temperate zones.
Ecology
The dry coastal forests of East Africa are quite rich in species of Diospyros
Note
Some further species from the Kenya coast that might possibly be found in evergreen or semi-evergreen vegetation in southern Somalia are: D. ferrea (Willd.) Bakh., D. zombensis (B.L. Burtt) F. White, D. shimbaensis F. White, D. amaniensis Gürke, and D. occulta F. White.

[FTEA]

Ebenaceae, F. White and B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1996

Morphology General Habit
Trees, shrubs or in a few cases suffrutices
Morphology Leaves
Leaves nearly always alternate, entire or obscurely crenulate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers usually in cymes or fascicles or solitary, unisexual the ♀ usually larger than the ♂ Female flowers: ovary globular, ovoid or conical, of 3-8 carpels, glabrous or hairy; carpels completely or incompletely partitioned; styles usually partly free, more rarely completely fused; stigma usually dilated and fleshy; staminodes variable, absent to well developed Male flowers: stamens 2-100 or more, included or exserted, solitary or united in pairs or groups, free from or adnate to the corolla-tube; anthers dehiscent by means of longitudinal slits (in the Flora area); rudimentary ovary absent or well developed; disk well developed or not, often fimbriate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx very variable, 3-8-lobed or entire and cupuliform, usually accrescent in fruit
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 3-8-lobed, very variable
sex Male
Male flowers: stamens 2-100 or more, included or exserted, solitary or united in pairs or groups, free from or adnate to the corolla-tube; anthers dehiscent by means of longitudinal slits (in the Flora area); rudimentary ovary absent or well developed; disk well developed or not, often fimbriate
sex Female
Female flowers: ovary globular, ovoid or conical, of 3-8 carpels, glabrous or hairy; carpels completely or incompletely partitioned; styles usually partly free, more rarely completely fused; stigma usually dilated and fleshy; staminodes variable, absent to well developed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits usually 1-several-seeded berries
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds mostly ellipsoid or segment-shaped (like a 1/4 of an orange), rarely subglobose, with 2 radial lines leaving the summit; embryo straight or incurved in its own plane; radicle not encircled completely by an invagination of the testa.

[FZ]

Ebenaceae, F. White. Flora Zambesiaca 7:1. 1983

Morphology General Habit
Trees, shrubs or suffrutices.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves nearly always alternate, margin entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence usually cymose or fasciculate or reduced to a solitary flower.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers dioecious, the female usually larger than the male.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx very variable, 3–8–Iobed or cup–shaped and entire, usually accrescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 3–8–lobed, very variable.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 2–100 or more, included or exserted, solitary or united in pairs or larger groups, adnate to corolla–tube or not; anthers (in our area) dehiscing by longitudinal slits.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc
Disk well–developed or not, sometimes fimbriate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Staminodes
Staminodes variable, absent to well–developed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary globose, ovoid or conoidal, glabrous or hairy, 3–8 carpellary; carpels (except in section Ferrea) completely or incompletely septate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Styles usually at least partly free, rarely completely united; stigmata usually fleshy and expanded. Pistillode variable, absent to very well–developed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit usually a 1· to many–seeded berry, rarely tardily dehiscent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed usually ellipsoid or shaped like a segment of an orange, very rarely subglobose, with 2 lines radiating from the apex; embryo straight or curved in its own plane, radicle not completely surrounded by an invagination of the testa.

Native to:

Afghanistan, Alabama, Andaman Is., Angola, Argentina Northeast, Arkansas, Assam, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bismarck Archipelago, Bolivia, Borneo, Botswana, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Burkina, Burundi, Cabinda, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Caprivi Strip, Caroline Is., Central African Repu, Chad, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Connecticut, Costa Rica, Cuba, Delaware, Dominican Republic, East Himalaya, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Florida, Free State, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Guyana, Hainan, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, Illinois, India, Indiana, Iowa, Iran, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jawa, Kansas, Kentucky, Kenya, Korea, KwaZulu-Natal, Laos, Leeward Is., Lesotho, Lesser Sunda Is., Liberia, Louisiana, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaya, Mali, Maluku, Manchuria, Maryland, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Mississippi, Missouri, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nansei-shoto, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New Jersey, New South Wales, New York, Nicaragua, Nicobar Is., Niger, Nigeria, Niue, North Carolina, North Caucasus, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pakistan, Panamá, Paraguay, Pennsylvania, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Queensland, Rodrigues, Rwanda, Réunion, Samoa, Santa Cruz Is., Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Is., Somalia, South Carolina, Southwest Caribbean, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Suriname, Swaziland, Tadzhikistan, Taiwan, Tanzania, Tennessee, Texas, Thailand, Tibet, Togo, Tonga, Transcaucasus, Trinidad-Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Vietnam, Virginia, Wallis-Futuna Is., West Himalaya, West Virginia, Western Australia, Windward Is., Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

Albania, Baleares, Bermuda, Bulgaria, California, France, Greece, Italy, Palestine, Spain, St.Helena, Switzerland, Yugoslavia

Diospyros L. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Jacobs, M. [5275], Malaysia 31302.000 No
Jacobs, M. [5220], Malaysia 32038.000 No
Richardson, I. [4051], Mauritius 39946.000 No
Jeffrey, C. [1144], Seychelles 40864.000 No
Richardson, I. [4171], Mauritius 50027.000 No
Richardson, I. [4159], Mauritius 50219.000 No
Richardson, I. [4013], Mauritius 50220.000 No
Richardson, I. [4015], Mauritius 50674.000 No
Richardson, I. [4168], Mauritius 50678.000 No
Richardson, I. [4055], Mauritius 51290.000 No
Harley, R.M. [27149], Brazil 55635.000 No
Harley, R.M. [27201], Brazil 55723.000 No
Pennington, R.T. [362], Guyana 58936.000 No
Harris, D.J. [2332], Central African Republic 60065.000 No
Sidyasa [PBU 504], Indonesia 63253.000 No
DuPuy, B. [MB 384], Madagascar 63556.000 No
Nooteboom, H.P. [5862], Indonesia 64427.000 No
Harley, R.M. [21130], Brazil 72703.000 No
Patel, H. [7157], Mozambique K000545128 No
Patel, H. [7182], Mozambique K000545145 No
Patel, H. [7210], Mozambique K000545171 No
Patel, H. [7221], Mozambique K000545182 No
s.coll. [Cat. no. 7535], India K001127455 Yes
Patel, H. [7156], Mozambique K000545127 No
Brenan, J.P.M. [9449], Cameroon Rhaphidanthe 3384.000 No
Wallich, N. [Cat. no. 7461], Singapore Maba K001127363 Yes

First published in Sp. Pl.: 1057 (1753)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R. (2000). World Checklist of Seed Plants Database in ACCESS D: 1-30141.
  • Wallnöfer, B. (2009). A revision of neotropical Diospyros (Ebenaceae): part 2 Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, B 110: 173-211.
  • Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (1996). Flora of China 15: 1-387. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.

Literature

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • White in Bull. Jard. Bot. Brux. 26: 237—246 (1956).
  • —F.T.A. 3: 517

Flora Zambesiaca

  • Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 478 (1754).
  • Sp. Pl.: 1057 (1753)

Flora of Somalia

  • Flora Somalia, Vol 3, (2006) Author: by I. Friis [updated by M. Thulin 2008]
  • White, in Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 58: 325–448 (1988).

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • L., Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 478 (1754)
  • sp Pl.: 1057 (1753)

  • Art and Illustrations in Digifolia

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    Flora Zambesiaca
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    Flora of Somalia
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Interactive Key to Seed Plants of Malesia and Indo-China

    The Malesian Key Group (2010) Interactive Key to Seed Plants of Malesia and Indo-China (Version 2.0, 28 Jul 2010) The Nationaal Herbarium Nederland Leiden and The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    Copyright applied to individual images

  • Wood Anatomy Microscope Slides

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/