| | CITESwoodID: descriptions, illustrations, identification and information retrieval |
Nomenclature. Family: EBENACEAE. Other trade relevant species: protected are all species growing in Madagascar. Further trade and local names: Madagascar ebony (GB); Madagaskar Ebenholz (DE);. Code according to DIN EN 13556: DSXX.
CITES(EU) status of protection. Listed in Annex II(B).
Similar timbers. The true ebonies from Madagascar (CITES II) are easily mistaken for true ebonies from other parts of the world (currently not protected under CITES) based on macroscopic structural features and independent of heartwood colour (whether pale, brown or black). On the other hand, black ebonies are hardly distinguishable from other very dark woods such as, for example, Dalbergia melanoxylon (African blackwood, CITES II) or Swartzia cubensis (Katalox).
Geographic distribution. Madagascar & other islands.
Growth rings, colour, grain, etc. Growth ring boundaries indistinct or absent. Heartwood basically brown, black; with streaks, or without streaks. Sapwood distinct from heartwood colour. Odour indistinct or absent. Wood heavy and hard (0.80–1.00 g/cm3). Interlocked grain present.
Hardwood vs softwood. Vessels (pores) present (= hardwood).
Vessels (pores). Wood diffuse-porous. Vessels (pores) arranged in no specific pattern, or a radial pattern; predominantly in multiples; commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows, or in radial rows of 4 or more. Vessels small, or medium, or large; few, or moderately numerous, or numerous, or very numerous. Pore diameter and number per mm² vary extremely from species to species. Tyloses absent. Other deposits in heartwood vessels (pores) present.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present (visible usually only in the light coloured sapwood); banded. Parenchyma bands not (only) marginal; narrow; forming a reticulate pattern with rays. Other macroscopically visible types of axial parenchyma: diffuse-in-aggregates.
Rays. Rays narrow. Large rays commonly less than 1 mm high.
Storied structure. Storied structure absent. Of the Diospyros species native to Madagascar only one (Diospyros sakalavarum) shows a rudimentary storied disposition of the rays.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Heartwood extractives leaching out when in contact with water (for example: Diospyros aculeata), or not leachable by water (for example: Diospyros lanceolata). Froth test negative. For the "burning splinter test" sufficient material was not available; therefore these characters are not coded.
Additional information. • Transverse section + wood surface. Transverse section ca. 10x. Radial surface, natural size. • Comparison Diospyros sp. vs Dalbergia melanoxylon. Diospyros sp. (Schwarzes Ebenholz, nicht aus Madagaskar). Dalbergia melanoxylon (Grenadill) - CITES II. black ebonies (including those from Madagascar) and African blackwood are only externally similar (heartwood nearly black). Black ebonies are diffuse-porous, frequently with longer radial pore chains, lack a storied structure and possess a macroscopically hardly recognizable axial parenchyma (diffuse-in- aggregates);African blackwood, on the other hand, is often semi-ring-porous and features a storied structure as well as marginal parenchyma bands. • Comparison Diospyros sp. vs Swartzia cubensis. Diospyros sp. (Black ebony, not from Madagascar). Swartzia cubensis (Katalox). black ebonies (including those from Madagascar) and Katalox are only externally similar (heartwood nearly black). Black ebonies lack a storied structure and possess a macroscopically hardly recognizable axial parenchyma (diffuse-in- aggregates), whereas Katalox features a prominent storied structure and a well developed banded axial parenchyma.
The interactive key allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting specified attributes, summaries of attributes within groups of taxa, and geographical distribution.
Cite this publication as: ‘Richter, H.G., Gembruch, K., and Koch, G. 2014 onwards. CITESwoodID: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. In English, French, German, and Spanish. Version: 4th April 2023. www.delta-intkey.com’.
