Common Name:

General Information

Diospyros hasseltii is a tree growing 10 - 30 metres tall[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its edible ?seed.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

Lowland forest[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	20.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Plants can be either monoecious or dioecious. If dioecious forms are grown, then both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

Seeds - raw. They are sweet and slightly astringent[]. The brown seeds are transparent and gelatinous[]. They are 15 - 20mm long x 7 - 10mm wide x 2 - 3mm thick[].
Ripe fruits are inodorous and astringent, they are eaten by bats and birds. The fruit is a globose to ovoid berry, 15 - 35mm in diameter[].
The above report about the seed being edible does seem a little strange to me. The description of being transparent and gelatinous seems more relevant to the fruit[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The juice of the fruits is used as a varnish[].

The wood is good and durable but usually of too small dimensions to be of much use[].

Propagation

Seed - in general the seed of Diospyros species has a very short viability and so should be sown as soon as possible. The flesh should be removed since this contains germination inhibitors. Sow the seed in a shady position in a nursery seedbed. The sowing media for ebony uses soil and fine sand at the ratio 3:1. The seed is planted horizontally or vertically with the radicle end down, with a sowing depth of 1 - 1½ times the thickness of seed. Distance between the seeds is 3 - 5cm. Seeds are very sensitive to desiccation during germination and early growth, so must be regularly watered at this time. Normally the seed will germinate after one week[].
As a rule fresh seeds have a high percentage of fertility. The seedlings develop long taproots at an early stage, often before any appreciable elongation of the shoot takes place. The growth of the seedling is decidedly slow [].

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: a square has how many sides?