Ebenaceae

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Ebenaceae
Starr 040513-0060 Diospyros sandwicensis.jpg
Diospyros sandwicensis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ebenaceae
Gürke [1]
Genera

See text

The Ebenaceae are a family of flowering plants belonging to order Ericales. The family includes ebony and persimmon among about 768 [2] species of trees and shrubs. It is distributed across the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world. [3] It is most diverse in the rainforests of Malesia, India, tropical Africa and tropical America. [4]

Contents

Diospyros chloroxylon Diospyros chloroxylon in Hyderabad W3 IMG 9477.jpg
Diospyros chloroxylon
Diospyros kaki 200412 - Plaqueminier et ses kakis.jpg
Diospyros kaki
Royena graeca, fossil flower Royena graeca.jpg
Royena graeca , fossil flower
Diospyros virginiana Persimmon 0375.jpg
Diospyros virginiana

Many species are valued for their wood, particularly ebony, for fruit, and as ornamental plants.

Biology

The fruits contain tannins, a plant defense against herbivory, so they are often avoided by animals when unripe. The ripe fruits of many species are a food source for diverse animal taxa. The foliage is consumed by insects.

The plants may have a strong scent. Some species have aromatic wood. They are important and conspicuous trees in many of their native ecosystems, such as lowland dry forests of the former Maui Nui in Hawaii, [5] Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests, Khathiar–Gir dry deciduous forests, Louisiade Archipelago rain forests, Madagascar lowland forests, Narmada Valley dry deciduous forests, New Guinea mangroves, and South Western Ghats montane rain forests.

Ebony is a dense black wood taken from several species in the genus Diospyros , including Diospyros ebenum (Ceylon ebony, Indian ebony), Diospyros crassiflora (West African ebony, Benin ebony), and Diospyros celebica (Makassar ebony). Diospyros tesselaria (Mauritius ebony) was heavily exploited by the Dutch in the 17th century.

Description

The family includes trees and shrubs. The leaves are usually alternately arranged, but some species have opposite or whorled leaves. The inflorescence is usually a cyme of flowers, sometimes a raceme or a panicle, and some plants produce solitary flowers. Most species are dioecious. The flower has 3 to 8 petals, which are joined at the bases. There are usually several single or paired stamens, which are often attached to the inner wall of the corolla. Female flowers have up to 8 stigmas. [3] The calyx is persistent. [6] The fruits are berry-like or capsular. [3] Like the wood of some species, the roots and bark may be black in color. [6]

Etymology

The family name Ebenaceae is based on the genus name Ebenus, published by Otto Kuntze in 1891. [7] It is a later homonym of Ebenus L., a genus already named in the family Fabaceae, and is thus nomen illegitimum . The plant that Kuntze had named Ebenus was accordingly reassigned to the genus Maba, which in turn has since been included in the genus Diospyros.

Because the name Ebenaceae had become well known, having been used in major botanical references such as Bentham and Hooker's Genera Plantarum , Engler and Prantl's Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, and Hutchinson's Families of Flowering Plants, it was conserved [8] and is therefore legitimate. [9]

Genera

During the last century, seven genera have been included in the family at one time or another. [3] One phylogenetic analysis reduced the family to four genera: [6]

GenusAuthorityCitationDate
Diospyros L.Sp. Pl. 2: 1057–10581753
Euclea L.Syst. Veg. (ed. 13) 7471774
Lissocarpa [10] Benth.Gen. Pl. 2(2): 667, 6711876
Royena L.Sp. Pl. 1: 3971753

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oleaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

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Diospyros is a genus of over 700 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. Individual species valued for their hard, heavy, dark timber, are commonly known as ebony trees, while others are valued for their fruit and known as persimmon trees. Some are useful as ornamentals and many are of local ecological importance. Species of this genus are generally dioecious, with separate male and female plants.

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Didiereaceae is a family of flowering plants found in continental Africa and Madagascar. It contains 20 species classified in three subfamilies and six genera. Species of the family are succulent plants, growing in sub-arid to arid habitats. Several are known as ornamental plants in specialist succulent collections. The subfamily Didiereoideae is endemic to the southwest of Madagascar, where the species are characteristic elements of the spiny thickets.

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Diospyros mespiliformis, the jackalberry, is a large dioecious evergreen tree found mostly in the savannas of Africa. Jackals are fond of the fruit, hence the common names. It is a member of the family Ebenaceae, and is related to the true ebony and edible persimmon.

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<i>Myrsine</i> Genus of flowering plants

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Diospyros sandwicensis is a species of flowering tree in the ebony family, Ebenaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It belongs to the same genus as both persimmons and ebony. Its common name, lama, also means enlightenment in Hawaiian. Lama is a small to medium-sized tree, with a height of 6–12 m (20–39 ft) and a trunk diameter of 0.3 m (0.98 ft). It can be found in dry, coastal mesic, mixed mesic, and wet forests at elevations of 5–1,220 m (16–4,003 ft) on all major islands. Lama and olopua are dominant species in lowland dry forests on the islands of Maui, Molokaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, and Lānaʻi.

Lissocarpa is a genus of flowering plants, described as a genus in 1876. It is classified as belonging to the family Ebenaceae, the ebony and diospyros family. It includes only a few species of small evergreen trees and shrubs species native to tropical South America.

<i>Diospyros revaughanii</i> Species of flowering plant

Diospyros revaughanii is a rare species of tree in the family Ebenaceae (ebony).

<i>Diospyros paniculata</i> Species of plant

Diospyros paniculata, or the panicle-flowered ebony, is a species of tree in the ebony family. Endemic to the Western Ghats area of India and parts of Bangladesh, the species is currently listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List.

Telangana has special climatic conditions due to its unique location in the heart of the Deccan Plateau. It is considered suitable for the developing flora and fauna. There are famous wildlife sanctuaries all over the region.The state of Telangana harbors a total of 2,800 taxa belonging to 1,051 genera under 185 families with its diverse ecosystems and varied agro-climatic regions, is home to a rich and vibrant flora. The state's flora encompasses a wide range of plant species, including both native and cultivated varieties.Telangana tropical rainy type of climate prevails, The State has a wide variety of soils and they form into three broad categories - red, black and laterite with Tropical moist deciduous forests, Southern dry deciduous forests, Northern mixed dry deciduous forests.

References

  1. Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2009). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 161 (2): 105–121. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x .
  2. "Ebenaceae — The Plant List". Theplantlist.org. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
  3. 1 2 3 4 James E. Eckenwalder. "Ebenaceae". Flora of North America. Vol. 8.
  4. José Manuel Sánchez de Lorenzo-Cáceres. "Arboles Ornamentales".
  5. The Nature Conservancy – Hawaiʻi Operating Unit (March 2004). "Kānepuʻu Preserve Lānaʻi, Hawaiʻi Long-Range Management Plan Fiscal Years 2005–2010" (PDF). Hawaii Department of Land & Natural Resources Natural Area Partnership Program: 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-16. Retrieved 2009-04-09.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. 1 2 3 Duangjai, S., et al. (2006). Generic delimitation and relationships in Ebenaceae sensu lato: evidence from six plastid DNA regions. American Journal of Botany 93(12), 1808-27.
  7. "Index Nominum Genericorum (ING)".
  8. Bullock, A. A. (1959). "Nomina Familiarum Conservanda Proposita (Continued)". Taxon. 8 (5): 154–181. doi:10.2307/1216755. JSTOR   1216755. S2CID   87725431.
  9. McNeill, J; et al., eds. (2006). "Article 18.3". International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Vienna Code 2005). A.R.G. Gantner Verlag KG. ISBN   3-906166-48-1.
  10. Lissocarpa. The Plant List. Accessed 13 August 2012.