Diospyros kaki trade name for non-astringent "D. kaki" fruit. "Diospyros kaki" is commonly called Japanese persimmon, Chinese persimmon, kaki (from Japanese name 柿, "kaki"), "kaki" persimmon, and Oriental persimmon. The scientific name "Diospyros kaki" L. f. may be used erroneously for this plant. However, "Diospyros kaki" L. f., published in 1781, is a later homonym of "Diospyros kaki" Thunb., published in 1780. So the name "Diospyros kaki" L. f. is taxonomically illegitimate and not accepted. Similar in shape to an apple tree, the "kaki" tree reaches a size of up to . Its deciduous leaves are medium to dark green, broadly lanceolate,
Diospyros tessellaria flowers and fleshy fruits. Like other species of ebony trees, Mauritian ebony trees yield a dark black ebony wood. In its natural habitat, it was a massive canopy tree - common in the dry and upland wet forests of the island. Vice-Admiral Wybrandt van Warwijck landed on Mauritius on September 17, 1598, thus beginning Dutch involvement with the island. In 1638, settlers from the Dutch East India Company (VOC) attempted to colonize the island and set up an organized ebony business to sell the rare black wood. However, due to issues with cyclones destroying the settlement, rats destroying crops, settlers