Euclea pseudebenus E. Meyer and other species of Diospyros also provide valuable ebony-like timber. Contact with leaves, bark, fruit, root, or the wood dust of members of this family has caused dermatitis and vesication. Irritation of the respiratory tract may also occur in woodworkers. Some 500 species are found in warm regions. The sapwood is white and soft, the heartwood hard and black.
Ebony refers to the heartwood of various species.
Diospyros canaliculata De Wild. See also Plumbaginaceae. Diospyros celebica Bakh. Patch tests to the sawdust and an alcoholic extract produced negative results. This compound has been shown to have sensitising properties in guinea pigs.