Ebony, a name given to various woods. They may be described as heavy, dark, hard woods suitable for carving, ornamental cabinet work, canes, and musical instruments. The ebony family, which, it may be noted, does not contain all the woods known in commerce as ebony, comprises several genera and about 250 species of shrubs or trees. The most valuable of the ebony trees belong to the genus Diospyros, and are confined to the warmer regions of the world, particularly to Asia, Mauritius and Africa. One species of this genus is the Virginian, or common persimmon. The most noted ebony, that having the blackest and finest grain, is obtained from the forests of Mauritius and Ceylon. Logs two feet in diameter are not unusual. A Japanese persimmon, cultivated for its fruit, also yields wood much prized by the Japanese artists for carving. A Jamaican tree, belonging to the legume family, furnishes a green "ebony," which takes a beautiful polish and is much used for inlaying. A dark brown "ebony," having the qualities of genuine ebony in all but color, is obtained from the forests of British Guiana. Genuine ebony takes a polish like ivory, and is almost as hard. See PERSIMMON.