Diospyros thus avoided by most herbivores; when ripe they are eagerly eaten by many animals however, such as the rare Aders' duiker ("Cephalophus adersi"). The foliage is used as food by the larvae of numerous Lepidoptera species: Arctiidae: Geometridae: Limacodidae: Lycaenidae: Nymphalidae: Saturniidae: Tortricidae: An economically significant plant pathogen infecting many "Diospyros" species – "D. hispida", kaki persimmon ("D. kaki"), date-plum ("D. lotus"), Texas persimmon ("D. texana"), Coromandel ebony ("D. melanoxylon") and probably others – is the sac fungus "Pseudocercospora kaki", which causes a leaf spot disease. The genus includes several plants of commercial importance, either for their edible fruit (persimmons)
Diospyros ebonasea sets have dark streaks. The overall coloring is similar to ziricote, with black and dark gray colors highlighted by subtle reddish brown and/or green hues. Diospyros ebonasea Malaysian blackwood (Diospyros ebonasea), is a species of flowering tree in the family Ebenaceae that is endemic to the forests of Malaysia. Malaysian blackwood is a nickname of this wood, but actually this wood is one of the ebony family in the world. Malaysian blackwood is a premium tonewood that is well suited for all sorts of guitars. It has become a favorite of several well-known high-end luthiers, and its popularity is growing.