The Ebenaceae are a family of flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

s, which includes ebony

Ebony

Ebony is a dense black wood, most commonly yielded by several species in the genus Diospyros, but ebony may also refer to other heavy, black woods from unrelated species. Ebony is dense enough to sink in water. Its fine texture, and very smooth finish when polished, make it valuable as an...

 and persimmon

Persimmon

A persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros in the ebony wood family . The word Diospyros means "the fire of Zeus" in ancient Greek. As a tree, it is a perennial plant...

. The family has approximately 500 species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of trees and shrubs in two genera

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

, Diospyros

Diospyros

Diospyros is a genus of about 450–500 species of deciduous and evergreen trees. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. They are commonly known as ebony or persimmon trees...

and Euclea

Euclea

Euclea is a genus of flowering plants, belonging to family Ebenaceae, the ebony family. The genus includes twenty species of evergreen trees and shrubs, native to Africa, the Comoro Islands, and Arabia. Several species are used for timber, producing a hard, dark heartwood timber similar to...

. The species are mostly evergreen and native to the tropics and subtropics, with a few deciduous species native to temperate regions. Diospyros

Diospyros

Diospyros is a genus of about 450–500 species of deciduous and evergreen trees. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. They are commonly known as ebony or persimmon trees...

contains 450-500 species and a pantropical distribution, with the greatest diversity of species in Indomalaya

Indomalaya

The Indomalaya ecozone is one of the eight ecozones that cover the planet's land surface. It extends across most of South and Southeast Asia and into the southern parts of East Asia....

. Euclea

Euclea

Euclea is a genus of flowering plants, belonging to family Ebenaceae, the ebony family. The genus includes twenty species of evergreen trees and shrubs, native to Africa, the Comoro Islands, and Arabia. Several species are used for timber, producing a hard, dark heartwood timber similar to...

contains 20 species, native to Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

, the Comoro Islands

Comoro Islands

The Comoros Islands form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the south-east coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and north-west of Madagascar. They are divided between the sovereign state of Comoros and the French overseas department of Mayotte...

, and Arabia. A persistent calyx on the fruits is characteristic of the family.