6406.000 Diospyros L.

Description of the genus

Trees shrubs or suffrutices. Leaves nearly always alternate; margin entire. Inflorescence cymose or fasciculate or flowers solitary. Calyx 3-8-lobed or cup-shaped and entire, usually accrescent. Corolla 3-8-lobed. Stamens 2-100 or more. Disk well-developed or not, sometimes fimbriate. Fruit usually a 2- or more seeded berry. Seed not subspherical (in ours), with 2 lines radiating from the apex. Two other more informal characters which may help one to recognise Diospyros spp. in the field are firstly that the growing tip (the young leaf) is held at an angle to the main stem and secondly that small leaves are often found on a branch amongst the larger more normal-sized leaves.

Worldwide: c. 475 species in the tropics

Malawi: 14 taxa.

The larvae of the following species of insect eat species of this genus:
Antiophlebia bracteata (Pearl spangled)
Botyodes asialis
Gonimbrasia belina (Mopane moth, Mopane worm, Anomalous emperor)
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Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
abyssinica (Hiern) F. White subsp. abyssinica SDescription, Image
abyssinica (Hiern) F. White subsp. attenuata F. WhiteS
abyssinica (Hiern) F. White subsp. chapmaniorum F. WhiteN,C
kirkii HiernDescription, Image
loureiriana G. Don subsp. loureiriana SDescription, Image
lycioides Desf. subsp. sericea (Bernh.) De WinterDescription, Image
mespiliformis Hochst. ex A. DC.N,C,SDescription, Image
natalensis (Harv.) Brenan subsp. natalensis Image
quiloensis (Hiern) F. WhiteSDescription, Image
senensis KlotzschC,SDescription, Image
squarrosa KlotzschN,C,SDescription, Image
truncatifolia A.N. CaveneyS
whyteana F. WhiteN,C,SDescription, Image
zombensis (B.L. Burtt) F. WhiteN,C,S

Other sources of information about Diospyros:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Diospyros
Flora of Caprivi: Diospyros
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Diospyros
Flora of Mozambique: Diospyros
Flora of Zambia: Diospyros
Flora of Zimbabwe: Diospyros
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Diospyros

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Diospyros
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Diospyros
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Diospyros
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Diospyros
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Diospyros
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Diospyros
JSTOR Plant Science: Diospyros
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Diospyros
Plants of the World Online: Diospyros
Tropicos: Diospyros
Wikipedia: Diospyros

Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Malawi: Genus page: Diospyros.
https://www.malawiflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=1078, retrieved 28 March 2024

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