Ebony

From Encyclopediak

Ebony, a name of a number of trees of the Ebony Family, distinguished by their hard, dark heartwood, which, in the most prized varieties, is a deep black. The tree grows commonly in tropical regions and has been prized since earliest times. It is mentioned in the Bible Esek. xxmi in connection with ivory, probably both on account of their value and of their contrasting colors. Ebony was once supposed to grow in the ground "without root or leaves," and to it were ascribed many miraculous powers. The chief source of ebony wood is the Island of Ceylon, where huge logs of the pure heartwood, two feet in diameter and 15 feet in length, are cut and hauled to the coast. For furniture and interior decorations ebony has been superseded by mahogany and rosewood, but for cabinetwork it is still widely employed, being exported from Egypt, India, Jamaica and Madagascar. A species of the Pulse, or Pea, Family called ebony grows in southern United States and has a hard, dark heartwood used as a veneer.