Ebony
Ebony is one of the non-European hardwoods and refers to a black ( or black - striped ) wood from trees of the genus Diospyros in the ebony family of plants. The heartwood (without visible annual rings ) is very hard, heavy, and is one of the most valuable types of wood. The mostly yellow- gray sapwood is removed almost immediately notice still Fällort by Abbeilen, up to 70 percent of the tribe make up and is considered worthless and unattractive. The density of ebony strongly depends on the variety and the range is 0.9 to 1.3 kg / dm ³.
Varieties
- Cameroon Ebony ( Diospyros crassiflora ) comes from Africa and is the most widespread in the world market variety ebony, often of a deep black color, but usually traversed with gray veins. Only about 10 % of the strains exhibit a uniform blackness. It shows a pronounced open porosity, which is characteristic of this variety and it makes for less estimated wood. Finely porous varieties are valued significantly higher.
- Ceylon Ebony ( Diospyros ebenum ) is the best, now hardly available quality: very hard, polishes well, with virtually no noticeable pores, easily workable, weatherproof and resistant to termites. The ebony furniture design in the 16th - 19th Century was of this sort.
- Madagascar ebony ( Diospyros perrieri ) is rather dark brown in color, it is very finely porous, weather resistant, termite resistant and has a density of approximately 1.0 kg / dm ³.
- Macassar Ebony ( Diospyros celebica ) ( Indonesia) is one of the "colored" ebony wood and is in the sapwood yellowish white, heartwood in black with very characteristic light yellow to brown striped longitudinal veins; it is very dense and stain-resistant, abrasive dust be caused as the all ebony irritation to skin, eyes and lungs. Its density is from 1.1 to 1.3 kg / dm ³. In the English -speaking world it is also known as Coromandelholz or Marblewood.
- Mun Ebony ( Diospyros mun ) comes from Laos and Vietnam, and is similar to Makassar ebony striped in two colors.
Use
It used mainly for ebony inlays and veneers, as well as for musical instruments ( woodwind instruments, fingerboards, keyboards, vortex, etc.) and at art and turning. In historicism it was a popular wood for door and window handles and cutlery handles. Offcuts are used for the production of knitting and crochet hooks or even for the handles of knives.
Etymology
While today with ebony black heartwood of native to India and Sri Lanka tree genus Diospyros is called, is biblical with Heb. הָבְנִים ( håvnîm ) a comparable wood meant that was exported from Nubia from. Investigations of dark wood, which have been found in Egyptian tombs (Egyptian hbny = ebony, . Cf. Engl ebony ), it could identify as the wood of the African Grenadills ( Dalbergia melanoxylon ) of the family Leguminosae. This tree species grows in the arid regions on the southern edge of the Sahara.
Ebony is in the Old Testament (Ezekiel 27,15 EU) called as tyrisches commodity that from the port city of Dedan (LXX reads Rhodes, as well as the Luther translation ) was introduced in southern Arabia.
Ebony in mythology
In mythology, magic and esotericism ebony is often attributed to a magical effect. So are houses with ebenhölzernen piles can not be accessed by evil spirits, or weapons of ebony should be able twisted demons. Also wands are often made from ebony, as magic items should be stored in boxes made of ebony to keep their power. The most popular mention of Ebony in legends and fairy-tale world is certainly the story of Snow White, whose hair was as black as ebony.
Ebony on the Red List
The beauty of the wood of this plant helped her to a wide recognition and popularity. But the high demand for this tropical wood is also its greatest danger. In 1994, she was included in the Red List of Threatened Species IUCN.
From 103 Diospyros species are most at risk as, 14 as endangered and 15 classified as threatened with extinction. In contrast, only 21 species are considered Near Threatened and two as not at risk lotus, namely Diospyros ekodul and Persimmon Diospyros.