While it might be well-known for its beautiful timber, in South Africa ebony is prized for its persimmon fruits which have far greater potential than is currently being realised.

An article in the Southern Times of South Africa looks at how the fruits of several species of Diospyros could be ideal for large-scale marketing.

The sweet, succulent ebony fruits of Africa are commonly eaten fresh, dried, or pulped for sauces. They can be used in porridges and toffee, brewed into beer, fermented into wine, and distilled into an ebony brandy.

The fruits are especially valuable during the dry season as they are often kept dried to be eaten after the end of the farming season when food can be scarce.

Ebony is currently not grown commercially in Africa for its fruit. One of the main challenges is that the fruits are soft and fragile, so hardier varieties need to be bred if they are to be developed into a commercial crop. Improved harvesting and transport methods would also be needed.

The trees can be found in dry to humid areas right across Africa and this article suggests they “could be planted as central village trees, along streets, highways, and fence lines, and in village-owned plots for food and timber reserves”. Farmers could harvest the fruits while they wait to to reap high yields from the coveted slow-growing timber.

Ebony timber is often used in fine carving as well as for building posts and canoes because of its resistance to water and termites. The gum from injured bark is useful as a glue and the roots of some species is made into a mixture for treating dysentery and fever and getting rid of parasites. The leaves can provide fodder for livestock.

Read the full story: Ebony much more than famine food