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41. EBENACEAE
Diospyros malabarica (Lam.) Kostel. Allg. Med.—Pharm. Fl. 3: 1099. 1831-6. (Fig. 187).
Diospyros glutenifera Wall.—Diospyros embryopteris Pers.—Diospyros peragrina Gamble—
Diospyros glutinosa Koen.—Embryopteris glutenifera Roxb.—Embryopteris geletinifera G.
Don.—Garcinia malabarica Desr.
Engl. Riber Ebony; Sinh. Timbiri; Tarn. Kattatti, Kavikattai, Panichai, Pattuppallam.
Tumbi, Tuvarai; Hindi Gab, Kalatendu, Makurkendi, Tendu; Sans. Anilsara,,
Atimuktaka, Dantasatha, Kalaskandha, Kendu, Krishnasara, .Krishnatvaka, Nilasara, Rava.
Ravana, Shitisaraka, Sphurjaka, Sphurjana, Shrishta, Susara, Svaryaka, Syandana, Syandanavhaya,
Tinduka, Tinduki, Tindula, Tuvara, Virupaka.
A moderate-sized or large tree with a blackish bark, flaking off in pieces and
many spreading branches, forming a dense, wide head, young parts silky; leaves simple,
alternate, without stipules, numerous, spreading distichously, persistent, 12.5—17.5 cm long,
25—9 cm broad, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, usually tapering, rarely rounded at base, obtuse
or subacute, glabrous and shining, veins prominent when dried; petioles 1—2 cm long, thick
rigid; flowers small, regular, unisexual, yellow, sweet—scented, dioecious, male flowers
rather small, 2—5 together, on short pedicels in shortly pedunculate, pubescent, racemose cymes;
sepals 4, fused into a shallowly cup-shaped calyx, silky, segments very broad; petals 4, fused into
a broadly companulate corolla, very thick, lobes very short, spreading; stamens 24—64, usually
40, equal, anthers linear, filaments extremely short; ovary reduced to a lobed fleshy disc; female
flowers solitary, much larger than the male, 2.5 cm diameter on short pedicels; sepals 4, fused,
segments deep, erect, broadly ovate, cordate and dilated at the base, acute; petals 4, fused into
a campanulate corolla, lobes deep, cordate, obtuse, recurved; staminodes 4—16, adnate to
corolla-tube; ovary superior, hairy, 8-Iocular with a solitary ovule in each chamber, styles 4,
stigmas lobed and undulated; fruit large, 3.7—8.7 cm diameter, subglobose, very thick, covered
with a hard, rusty mealiness readily detached, yellow, calyx enlarged, spreading or reflexed,
pericarp thin, pulp viscid and glutinous; seeds 4—8 oblong, flattened, smooth, reddish brown,
embedded in the pulp.
Flowers during May.
Illustrations. Edward, Bot. Reg.,p/. 499. 1820; Beddome, Flor. Sylvat.p/. 69. 1868—73;
Roxburgh, Coram. PI. 1: pi. 70. 1795; Wight, Ic. PI. Ind. Orient, pis. 843 and 844. 1843—45;
Kirtikar and Basu, Indian Med. PI., pi. 586. 1933; .Bentley and Trimen, Med. PI., pi 168.
1880; Herb. Peradeniya., drawing.
Distribution. Occurs throughout India, Ceylon, Burma, Siam, Malay Archipelago and
Java. It is very common in Ceylon in the dry low-country, specially by streams.
India. Dhaka, Clarke 16991D, April 1872. Chota Nagpore, Ranchi, Clarke 203335.
Oct. 1873; Clarke 20333/4, Oct. 1873. Sivalik and Jaunsar Div., Kalsi, Shankar 92, June 1920.
Malabar, Concan, etc., Stocks, Law, etc. S. India, Barber 2846. Pen. Ind. Orient., Herb. Wight
1711, Kew Distribution 1866—7. Ceylon. Northern Prov., Mullaitivu, Hensman, Feb. 1927.
Central Prov., Peradeniya, F. W. de Silva 34, April 1928; Wright, 1907. Uva Prov., Uma Oya,
Thwaites CP. 1915.
Uses.' The juice of the unripe fruit makes an excellent application on fresh wounds
owing to its high tannin content. An infusion of the fruit is used as a gargle Tor aphthae and sore
throat. The oil extracted from the seeds is used with success in diarrhoea and dysentery.
The viscid juice of the fruit is used for daubing the bottoms of boats and an infusion
of it for staining fishnets.
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