Ebony

Ebony (Lat. ebenum), a wood remarkable for its hardness, heaviness, and deep black colour, is the heart-wood of different species of Diospyros (order Ebenaceæ), the genus of the Date Plum (q.v.) and other fruits. The best ebony is the produce of D. ebenum, a large tree of India and Ceylon; but a number of species or varieties are also of value; others present variations in colour, density, and durability, and acquire different names—e.g. D. hirsuta of Ceylon is Calamander Wood (q.v.), and D. lotus (see LOTUS) is Green Ebony. Part of the true ebony of commerce is furnished by the closely allied Maba ebenus of the Moluccas. The African ebony of the Cape is from species of Euclea. The Texas Persimmon (D. texana) affords a small amount of excellent ebony. Of unrelated forms may be mentioned Jacaranda brasiliana (Bignoniaceæ), Blue Ebony, Jacaranda or Palsander Wood (see ROSEWOOD). Several leguminous trees also share the name, notably Ebenus cretica, which yields the red or brown ebony of Crete, Dalbergia melanoxylon, ebony of Senegal, and Brya (Pterocarpus) ebenus, West Indian ebony, false or green ebony. German ebony is simply yew-wood stained, and other imitations are current (see TIMBER, VENEER). Ebony is chiefly used by cabinetmakers for veneering. The ancient Greeks and Romans are thought to have obtained it either from India or Madagascar. They frequently inlaid it with ivory, for contrast of colour. It is mentioned by Ezekiel (xxvii. 15) as an article of Tyrian commerce. It was at one time used in medicine.