Ebony

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Ebony (Diospyros ebenum), also known as Indian Ebony or Ceylon Ebony, is a tree in the genus Diospyros, native to southern India and Sri Lanka. It is noted for its heavy, black, fine-grained heartwood. It is a medium-sized evergreen tree, reaching 20-25 m tall. The leaves are entire, about 6-15 cm long and 3-5 cm broad. The fruit is a small berry 2 cm diameter, similar to a small persimmon.

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Ebony heartwood is one of the most intensely black woods known, which, combined with its very high density, fine texture, and ability to polish very smoothly, has made it very valuable as an ornamental wood. It has a long history of use, with carved pieces found in Ancient Egyptian tombs.

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By the end of the 16th century, fine cabinets for the luxury trade were made of ebony in Antwerp. The dense hardness lent itself to refined moldings framing finely detailed pictorial panels with carving in very low relief (bas-relief), usually of allegorical subjects, or taken from classical or Christian history. Within a short time, such cabinets were also being made at Paris, where their makers became known as ?b?nistes, which remains the French term for a cabinet-maker.

Tree: :This article is about the biological organisms known as trees. For other meanings of the word see tree (disambiguation)....

Diospyros: 450-500; see text...

India: The Republic of India is a country in South Asia which comprises most of the Indian subcontinent. India has a coastline which stretches over seven thousand kilometres, and shares its borders with Pakistan to the west, the People's Republic of China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, and Bangladesh...

Ebony related Images and Photos (experimental)

Ebony I	Ebony IV	Ebony Lounge	Ebony Forest I
Ebony Nude Back	Ebony Forest II	Ebony Nude Thighs	Ebony and Ivory
Essence on Ebony I	Essence on Ebony II	Patterns in Ebony I	Filigree Floral Ebony 2012 X-Large Planner