Botanical name	Diospyros gracilipes
	Family	Ebenaceae
	Local name	Hazomainty
	English name	Madagascar ebony
	Distribution	North western part and eastern coast of the Island of Madagascar.
	The tree	Medium size 12-15 meters tall, diameter of 30-40 cm, is found in dense tropical forests, predominantly in high humidity areas.
	The wood	The heartwood is perfectly black, with some times white streaks. The grain is extremely fine, almost invisible. The timber is hard of a density from 0.9 to 1.1 t / m3. Wide sapwood of white or light yellowish colour.
	Seasoning	In small dimensions, dries well, fairly quickly, with little tendency to split or distort.
	Workability	Difficult workability, for being abrasive to tools.
	Use	For inlays, top quality joinery, sculptures, fingerboards of stringed instruments, chin rests, pegs and bow parts.