Mostly trees, a few shrubs. 400-500 species in 3 Genera: Diospyros sp., Euclea sp., Lissocarpa sp. (back since 2001) . Monopodial crown, flattened foliage sprays. Outer bark is usually black, gritty and charcoal-liike.
Distribution
Tropics, concentrated on Indomalaysia. A few species in northern temperate regions
Floral characters
Usually unisexual (rarely bisexuall, diecious. Infolresecences are short and determinate, in the leave axis. Sometimes reduced to single flower. Flowers jointed at base, regular. Petals 3-7, connate. Sepals 3-7 fused into tube, lobes valvate or imbricate, color from white, cream to pink. Stamens usually epipetalous, in two whorls, fused in radial pairs. Male flowers with pistills. Ovary usually superior (rarely inferior) and sessile. Number of locules equals number of petals and sepals. Styles are fused at least at the base. Female flowers usually have staminodes.
Leaf characters
alternate, rarely opposite. Simple, entire
Stipules
absent
Fruit characters
Berry with stony inner part. Rarely dehiscent. Seated on persistent enlarged calyx. Contain several seeds
Glands
absent
Hairs
absent (apparently)
Latex
absent
Uses
Diospyros ebenum, D. reticulata are source for ebony. Diospyros mespiliformis: African/Zanzibar Ebony. Diospyros kaki cultivated for fruits
Distribution maps
(online von http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/ . Dort zitiert wie unter jedem Diagramm vermerkt):
Ebenoideae (Ebenaceae)
map: from Morley & Toelken 1983; White 1988 [Africa] - still imprecise
