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
Diospyros revaughanii the island's (now extinct) species of giant tortoise - and possible also by the dodo - which dispersed the seeds. The absence of these natural seed dispersers could be the reason for the poor seed germination in habitat today. This species is one of eleven surviving species of ebony tree which naturally occur on Mauritius - all of them endemic. Several additional species are now extinct. Diospyros revaughanii Diospyros revaughanii is a rare species of tree in the family Ebenaceae (ebony). The tree is one of several species of ebony tree which are endemic to the island of Mauritius, in