Common Name:

General Information

Diospyros kamerunensis is a shrub or a tree that can grow up to 17 metres tall. The straight bole can be 30cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of wood. The wood has been exported as 'Cameroon Ebony'[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon, Gabon.

Habitat

An understorey tree in dense forest[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	12.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

We have seen no individual confirmation for this species, but in general Diospyros species are dioecious and require both male and female forms to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

The fruit pulp is edible[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The heartwood is black; it is clearly demarcated from the sapwood, which is pinkish when freshly cut. The wood is heavy, hard, tough, resilient and does not float. The sap-wood can be impregnated. The wood tends to split during seasoning, but works well and takes a smooth finish. It is used for axe and implement handles, spear-shafts, telegraph-poles, rice-pestles and hut-posts. Drums are hollowed out of the wood and drum-heads of hide are fastened by hoops made of the young saplings of this and other Diospyros species which are particularly strong and pliable[].

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 [].

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