Diospyros malabarica (Desr.) Kostel.
പനച്ചി


Family: EBENACEAE
Sub-Family: Not available
English Name: Indian Persimmon
Synonym: Diospyros peregrina (Gaertn.)Gurke
Common Name: Vananji, Malabar ebony
Flowering & Fruiting Period: March - May
Distribution: Indo-Malaysia
Habitat: Evergreen forests and sacred groves
Uses: The fruit, when unripe, is said to be cold, light, and astringent; and to possess anti-bacterial and anthelmintic activity. The juice of the fresh bark is useful in the treatment of bilious fevers. Externally, the bark is said to be a good application for treating boils and tumours. The seeds are used as a treatment for diarrhoea and chronic dysentery. A dark oil prepared from the fruit makes an excellent varnish for paper umbrellas and fans. A valuable and highly decorative hardwood that is strong, hard, dense and very durable. It is used for items such as luxury furniture and wood carvings, and also as a raw material for boats and constructions.
Key Characteristics: Dioecious trees, bark black with greenish tinge flaking off in thick scales. Leaves simple, alternate, distichous; lamina oblong, margin entire. Flowers unisexual, pale yellow; male flowers: 2-7 in axillary, drooping cymes; calyx lobes 4; corolla campanulate; lobes 4, imbricate; stamens usually 40, in pairs; female flowers: usually solitary, axillary, drooping; calyx deeply divided, lobes 4; corolla campanulate, deeply divided, lobes 4; ovary superior, globose, 8-celled, ovule 1-in each cell. Fruit a berry.