Ebony 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" (Makassar ebony), native to Indonesia and
Flora of Madagascar Population growth and transformation of the landscape was particularly rapid since the mid-20th century. The native flora of Madagascar is used for a variety of purposes by the Malagasy people. Richard Baron, at the end of the 19th century, described more than one hundred native plants used locally and commercially. These include many timber trees such as native ebony ("Diospyros") and rosewood ("Dalbergia") species, the raffia palm "Raphia farinifera" used for fibre, dyeing plants, as well as medicinal and edible plants. The traveller's tree has various uses in the east of Madagascar, chiefly as building material. Madagascar's national instrument "valiha"