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Article: Persimmon: the ebony of America. (Wood of the Month: Persimmon)
- Article from:
- Wood & Wood Products
- Article date:
- December 1, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 Vance Publishing Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Persimmon grows in the southern United States where it has earned the nicknames "the ebony of America" and "white ebony". Persimmon, also referred to as common persimmon, is a member of the ebony family Ebenaceae. The commercially valuable timber, however, is much lighter than the typical ebony. It has an average weight of 53 pounds per cubic foot while African ebony has an average weight of 63 to 64 pounds per cubic foot.
Persimmon's sapwood deepens from white, when freshly cut, to a pale straw color or off-white with a grey tinge. The heartwood is black, brown or variegated but only accounts for a relatively small center portion of the tree, with the sapwood ...