Diospyros malabarica

Gaub Tree
Leaves of the Malabar Ebony
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ebenaceae
Genus:	Diospyros
Species:	D. malabarica
Binomial name
Diospyros malabarica (Desr.) Kostel.
Synonyms
Garcinia malabarica Buch.-Ham. Diospyros peregrina Buch.-Ham.

The Gaub Tree, Malabar ebony, Black-and-white Ebony or Pale Moon Ebony (Diospyros malabarica) (Bengali: গাব/দেশী গাব) is a species of flowering tree in the family Ebenaceae that is native to the Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia.

It is a large tree, reaching up to 35 m in height with a trunk up to 70 cm in diameter.^[1] The fruits are round, yellow when ripe. Its common name is derived from the coast of southwestern India, Malabar. It is the provincial tree of Ang Thong Province in Thailand.

Uses

Both the bark of the tree and the unripe fruit have medicinal uses in Ayurveda. This tree was mentioned as Tinduka by Sanskrit writers.^[2]

Unripe leaves and fruits were traditionally used to dye cloth black.

References

1. ^ FAO - Malabar ebony
2. ^ Rajendra Shinde in Flowers of India

External links

• Diospyros malabarica (Desr.) Kostel. var. malabarica
• Diospyros malabarica - Ayurvedic medicinal plants