Ebony certification in several South Asian countries. Ebony Ebony is a dense black hardwood, most commonly yielded by several different species in the genus "Diospyros", which also contains the persimmons. Ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely-textured and has a very smooth finish when polished, making it valuable as an ornamental wood. The word "ebony" comes from the Ancient Egyptian "hbny", through the Ancient Greek ("ébenos"), into Latin and Middle English. Species of ebony include "Diospyros ebenum" (Ceylon ebony), native to southern India and Sri Lanka; "Diospyros crassiflora" (Gabon ebony), native to western Africa; and "Diospyros celebica"
Diospyros revaughanii species of ebony, this tree yields a dark black ebony wood. Consequently, it was severely exploited for wood and was decimated from much of its former range. It is now a threatened species and only survives in a few spots in the south-west of the island - around Bel Ombre, Mt Lion, and Perrier Nature Reserve - on exposed ridges and wet highland forest where it has escaped felling. The last patches of this tree's habitat are still threatened. Although it produces large amounts of fruit with fertile seed, these do not often germinate. The fruits were formerly eaten by