Diospyros malabarica (Desr.) Kostel.

A medium sized evergreen tree. It grows 10-12 m tall. The trunk is 20-30 cm across. The trunk is straight. The trunk is short and the crown is spreading. The crown is dark green with horizontal spreading branches. The bark is very dark and becomes rough and cracked with age. The leaves are dark and shiny and 20 cm long. Young leaves are red but turn green. The flowers have 4 parts. They are white or green. They are fragrant. Male and female flowers occur in separate trees. The male flowers occur in clusters of 3-6 while the female flowers are larger and either single or in pairs. The fruit is round or oval and 5 cm across. The fruit are rusty yellow when ripe. They are very sticky. The flesh is yellow and soft. There are 6-7 shiny black seeds.

A tropical plant. It grows in dense mixed forest. It grows in the Eastern States in India. It suits moist areas near streams in dry zones. It needs plenty of water. It grows between 300-650 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.

The ripe fruit is eaten raw. It is sour until fully ripe.

Plants are grown from seed. The seed are put in nurseries. The seedlings are transplanted a year later during the rainy season.