Diospyros buxifolia (Blume) Hiern

 
  • Family : EBENACEAE
    (Ebony Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : BISTENDU FAMILY (बिसतॆंदु फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Ebenaceae
  • Basionym : Leucoxylum buxifolium Blume
  • Synonym(s) : Diospyros microphylla Bedd.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Diospyros buxifolia (Blume) Hiern
  • Common name : Small-leaved Ebony
  • Vernacular name :
    • Kunchigana mara (Kannada)
    • Elichevian, Elichuzhi, Kattuthuvara, Malamuringa, Thovarakari, Thovara (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Tree
  • Habitat : Tropical evergreen forests, Tropical semi-evergreen forests
  • Comments / notes : Wood is used in making Walking Sticks; Timber is of commercial value.
  • Key identification features : A large tree up to 25 m height; bark lenticellate; Twigs and petiole are hirsutus, Leaves are leaf blade to 4 x 2 cm, elliptic,acute at both ends,subpersistently hirsute,along margin,veins obscure,inflorescence of 1-3 male flowers in minute cymes and of solitary female flowers, calyx 4 lobed, glabrous without, fulvous,pilose along margin,stamens 16, ovary 4-locular.
  • Flower, Fruit : January-July
  • Collector(s) Name : Raja K. Swamy, Noel Sebastian
  • Collection Date : 26-11-2018
  • Collection Nos : KFP 7929, Raghavan 62931, Talbot 375, Talbot 3840; HJCB-1869
  • Collection Locality : Mamalakandam, Idukki district, Kerala
  • Distribution :
    • Karnataka : Ballari district, Dakshina Kannada district, Hassan district, Mysuru district, Shivamogga district, Udupi district, Uttara Kannada district
    • Kerala : Kasaragod district, Kannur district, Wayanad district, Kozhikode district, Malappuram district, Palakkad district, Thrissur district, Idukki district, Kollam district, Thiruvananthapuram district
    • Tamil Nadu : Coimbatore district
  • Native : Borneo, Cambodia, India, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, Maluku, New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Indo-Malesia
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Saldanha & Nicolson, 1976 - Flora of Hassan district, Karnataka
    • Flora of Karnataka, Saldanha, 1984
    • Gopalakrishna Bhat, 2003 - Udupi
    • Gopalakrishna Bhat, 2014 - Flora of South Kanara
    • N.P.Singh, 1988- Flora of Eastern Karnataka
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI
    • Herbarium specimen from Mamalakandam, Idukki district, Kerala (not scanned)
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Diospyros buxifolia
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Diospyros buxifolia. Downloaded on 16 February 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

Habitat

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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