Profile
Scientific name:	Diospyros ferrea (Willd.) Bakhuizen
Common name:	Ebony tree, Dark-barked eurya

Features:

Ebony trees are dioecious evergreen trees with grayish-black bark. Their leaves are stalked, grow in an alternating pattern, and are obovate or elliptic in shape; leaf apices are retuse and smooth both above and below; and leaf bases are mucronate, 2-3cm in length, have slightly curly margins, and are a dark green when ripe. Ebony trees have both staminate flowers and pistillate flowers, with the former usually clustering together in groups of two or three while the latter stands alone. Their inflorescence is small and often hidden behind leaves, and their pedals are light yellow or white. Ebony trees flower between late spring and early summer, and their oval-shaped berries turn from yellow to red to purplish-black when fully ripe. A slow-growing tree, the Ebony tree has a dark black, glossy, and hard heartwood whose density is higher than water; thus, the longer it is buried in the soil, the harder and darker it becomes. This makes it an ideal material for industrial arts.

Habitat:

Ebony trees usually occur in tropical areas throughout Asia and Africa. In Taiwan, it is native to the Hengchun Peninsula, Orchid Island, and Green Island.