Diospyros L.

Ebenaceae, F. White and B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1996

Morphology General Habit

Trees, shrubs or in a few cases suffrutices

Morphology Leaves

Leaves nearly always alternate, entire or obscurely crenulate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers usually in cymes or fascicles or solitary, unisexual the ♀ usually larger than the ♂ Female flowers: ovary globular, ovoid or conical, of 3-8 carpels, glabrous or hairy; carpels completely or incompletely partitioned; styles usually partly free, more rarely completely fused; stigma usually dilated and fleshy; staminodes variable, absent to well developed Male flowers: stamens 2-100 or more, included or exserted, solitary or united in pairs or groups, free from or adnate to the corolla-tube; anthers dehiscent by means of longitudinal slits (in the Flora area); rudimentary ovary absent or well developed; disk well developed or not, often fimbriate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx very variable, 3-8-lobed or entire and cupuliform, usually accrescent in fruit

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla 3-8-lobed, very variable

sex Male

Male flowers: stamens 2-100 or more, included or exserted, solitary or united in pairs or groups, free from or adnate to the corolla-tube; anthers dehiscent by means of longitudinal slits (in the Flora area); rudimentary ovary absent or well developed; disk well developed or not, often fimbriate

sex Female

Female flowers: ovary globular, ovoid or conical, of 3-8 carpels, glabrous or hairy; carpels completely or incompletely partitioned; styles usually partly free, more rarely completely fused; stigma usually dilated and fleshy; staminodes variable, absent to well developed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits usually 1-several-seeded berries

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds mostly ellipsoid or segment-shaped (like a 1/4 of an orange), rarely subglobose, with 2 radial lines leaving the summit; embryo straight or incurved in its own plane; radicle not encircled completely by an invagination of the testa.

Timothy M. A. Utteridge and Laura V. S. Jennings (2022). Trees of New Guinea. Kew Publishing. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Distribution

A pantropical genus of about 730 species and also extending into temperate regions; at least 45 species in New Guinea, but in need of taxonomic revision.

Morphology General Habit

Shrubs or trees to 25 m tall (in New Guinea); bark and branches often dark brown or black, branchlet tips sometimes spiny

Morphology General Indumentum

Indumentum of T-shaped hairs sometimes present

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules absent

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, usually distichous, often with gland pits most clearly visible on the lower lamina, running along either side of the midrib or grouped at the base of the lamina, gland pits usually drying dark brown or black. Inflorescences axillary, staminate flowers in cymes falling soon after anthesis, pistillate flowers usually solitary

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers bisexual or unisexual (plants dioecious or polygamous), actinomorphic; calyx usually 3–5(–7)-lobed, sometimes truncate, often enlarged in female or bisexual flowers, persistent during fruiting; corolla urn-shaped, campanulate, or tubular, 3–5(–7)-lobed; stamens 4 to numerous, often paired and forming 2 whorls, rarely as many as corolla lobes and alternate with them; staminodes 1–16 or absent in pistillate flowers; ovary superior in pistillate flowers, 2–16-locular, ovules 1 or 2 per locule styles 2–8, free or basally united; stigma entire or 2-lobed; pistillode rudimentary in staminate flowers

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a fleshy berry, often somewhat leathery, calyx usually accresescent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1–10(or more), often laterally compressed.

Ecology

Members of Diospyros are found throughout New Guinea, and can be found in lowland habitats, including coastal vegetation, from sea level to 1400 m elevation in both primary and secondary forests.

Recognition

Diospyros species can be recognised by the habit, usually being medium to large trees with very dark-brown to almost black bark or branches, the simple leaves with entire margins and flat dark-brown or black pitted glands on the lower surface, the axillary flowers (often unisexual), the usually 4-lobed calyx which is persistent and expanding in fruit, and the fleshy berry with 1 to several seeds. The flat pitted glands are usually most conspicuous on the lower surface of the leaf, but are often visible on the upper surface, and can then be slightly raised.

Ebenaceae, F. White. Flora Zambesiaca 7:1. 1983

Morphology General Habit

Trees, shrubs or suffrutices.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves nearly always alternate, margin entire.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence usually cymose or fasciculate or reduced to a solitary flower.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers dioecious, the female usually larger than the male.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx very variable, 3–8–Iobed or cup–shaped and entire, usually accrescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla 3–8–lobed, very variable.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 2–100 or more, included or exserted, solitary or united in pairs or larger groups, adnate to corolla–tube or not; anthers (in our area) dehiscing by longitudinal slits.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc

Disk well–developed or not, sometimes fimbriate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Staminodes

Staminodes variable, absent to well–developed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary globose, ovoid or conoidal, glabrous or hairy, 3–8 carpellary; carpels (except in section Ferrea) completely or incompletely septate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Styles usually at least partly free, rarely completely united; stigmata usually fleshy and expanded. Pistillode variable, absent to very well–developed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit usually a 1· to many–seeded berry, rarely tardily dehiscent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed usually ellipsoid or shaped like a segment of an orange, very rarely subglobose, with 2 lines radiating from the apex; embryo straight or curved in its own plane, radicle not completely surrounded by an invagination of the testa.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/183633753/183633762

Conservation

EN - endangered CR - critically endangered VU - vulnerable EN - endangered VU - vulnerable VU - vulnerable EN - endangered VU - vulnerable VU - vulnerable EN - endangered VU - vulnerable VU - vulnerable EN - endangered VU - vulnerable VU - vulnerable VU - vulnerable EN - endangered VU - vulnerable VU - vulnerable EN - endangered EN - endangered