Ebenaceae Gürke
eb-en-NAY-see-ee
OR
eb-en-NAY-see-eye
The Ebenaceae Family was named and described by Robert Louis August Maximilian Gürke in Naturlichen Pflanzenfamilien in 1892.
Plants of the World Online lists three accepted genera in this family commonly known as the ebony family. Some members of this family are prized for their wood, fruit, and ornamental value.
Genera include Diospyros (727 species), Euclea (16 species), and Lissocarpa (8 species). There was a fourth, Royena, but the species in that genus are now part of the genus Diospyros.
Many species fruit contain tannins which prevent them from being eaten before they are ripe as with many species of the persimmon. Several species of Diospyros are known for their beautiful wood commonly known as ebony. Not only are the members of this family valued for their fruit and wood, their leaves are also consumed by a number of insect species.
According to the article in Wikipedia, this family was named after the genus Ebenus by Otto Kuntze in 1891. Then it was realized there was already a genus by that name in the Fabaceae Family which made it illegitimate. The plant Mr. Kuntze named was then renamed Maba which later was included in the genus Diospyros.
For more information about this family of plants, please click on the links below. The links take you directly to the information about the family.
