Diospyros mespiliformis Diospyros mespiliformis Diospyros mespiliformis, the jackalberry (also known as African ebony and by its Afrikaans name jakkalsbessie), is a large dioecious evergreen tree found mostly in the savannas of Africa. Jackals are fond of the fruit, hence the common names. It is a member of the family Ebenaceae, and is related to the true ebony ("D. ebenum") and edible persimmon ("D. kaki"). Mature trees have dark gray fissured bark. An adult tree reaches an average of 4 to 6 metres in height, though occasionally trees reach 25 metres. The foliage is dense and dark green with elliptical leaves, which are
Diospyros squarrosa Diospyros squarrosa Diospyros squarrosa, the rigid star-berry, is a dioecious, deciduous shrub or small tree that is native to the tropical and subtropical Afrotropics. Its wood and edible, fleshy fruit are harvested locally. The bark is grey to brown, and smooth with shallow longitudinal fissures. It grows from 2 to 10 metres tall, and may start flowering while still small. They produce flowers from early to midsummer, which are greenish to creamy-white and fragrant. The flowers are axillary, in lax cymes in males plants, and solitary in female plants. The near-spherical fruit (of female plants) are some 2 cm in