Diospyros kaki Diospyros kaki Diospyros kaki, also called persimmon, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus "Diospyros". Although its first published botanical description was not until 1780, the "kaki" is among the oldest plants in cultivation, known for its use in China for more than 2000 years. In some rural Chinese communities, the "kaki" fruit is seen as having a great mystical power that can be harnessed to solve headaches, back pains and foot ache. The persimmon ("kaki") is a sweet, slightly tangy fruit with a soft to occasionally fibrous texture. This species, native to China, is deciduous, with broad,
Wildlife of Mauritius heathland in the mountains. Most of this natural vegetation has been destroyed and what remains is threatened by the spread of introduced plants. Native trees include eleven surviving species of Mauritius ebony ("Diospyros tesselaria", "Diospyros egrettarum", "Diospyros revaughanii", "Diospyros melanida", "Diospyros leucomelas" and several others), takamaka ("Calophyllum tacamahaca"), manglier vert ("Sideroxylon cinereum"), manglier rouge ("Sideroxylon puberulum"), Ox tree ("Polyscias maraisiana"), Bois de Natte ("Labourdonnaisia" species) and a range of other indigenous and endemic tree species. The palm species that are indigenous to the island of Mauritius comprise "Acanthophoenix rubra" (possibly other species), "Dictyosperma album (var. album & conjugatum)", "Hyophorbe amaricaulis",