Diospyros dichrophylla Diospyros dichrophylla Diospyros dichrophylla (Gand.) De Winter aka poison star-apple is a Southern African tree belonging to the ebony family of Ebenaceae and closely related to the Persimmon ("Diospyros kaki"). Some authors describe it as being poisonous, which is puzzling as generally ripe fruits from this genus are quite tasty and edible, though green fruits are rich in tannins. The genus of "Diospyros" includes some 700 species, many of which are ornamental and many which bear edible and often cultivated fruit. This species grows into a medium-sized tree of up to 15 m tall. It is multi-stemmed and forms a
Ebony prized for its luxuriant, multi-colored wood grain. Mauritius ebony, "Diospyros tessellaria", was largely exploited by the Dutch in the 17th century. Some species in the genus "Diospyros" yield an ebony with similar physical properties, but striped rather than evenly black ("Diospyros ebenum"). Ebony has a long history of use, with carved pieces having been found in Ancient Egyptian tombs. By the end of the 16th century, fine cabinets for the luxury trade were made of ebony in Antwerp. The wood's dense hardness lent itself to refined moldings framing finely detailed pictorial panels with carving in very low relief (bas-relief), usually