Bio Diversity Park

Common Name : Gaub Tree, Malabar Ebony

Hindi Name : काला तेंदू | Scientific Name : Diospyros malabarica
Family : Ebenaceae
Uses : The fruit, especially when unripe, contains a viscid pulp that is rich in tannins and is the source of a gum. The unripe fruits (sometimes also the leaves) are a source of tannins that are used for dyeing silk and other clothes black. A valuable and highly decorative hardwood that is strong, hard, dense and very durable is used for items such as luxury furniture and wood carvings, and also as a raw material for boats and constructions of buildings, bridges etc. The bark, leaves, flowers and fruits are much used in Ayurvedic medicine. The fruit, when unripe, is said to be cold, light, and astringent; and to possesses anti-bacterial and anthelmintic activity. It is used externally to heal sores and wounds. When ripe, the fruit is beneficial in treating diarrhoea and dysentery; blood diseases; gonorrhoea and leprosy. The fruit is also said to break fever, to be an antidote for snake poisoning, and to be demulcent. The juice of the fresh bark is useful in the treatment of bilious fevers. Externally, the bark is said to be a good application for treating boils and tumours. The seeds are used as a treatment for diarrhoea and chronic dysentery.
Native: Indian Subcontinent
General Description:

It is an evergreen tree with a spreading crown. It can grow up to 37m tall, with a trunk girth of 2m. The bark is black, smooth, and the inner bark turns bluish on exposure to sunlight. Leaves are oblong and glossy. The male flowers are formed in 3-5 flowered cymes in leaf axils. Female flowers are solitary, 4-parted, with 4 styles, and an 8-celled ovary. Fruits are round, up to 3.5cm in diameter, and seated on a persistent sepal structure. The fruit is green, tinted red.