the ebenaceae are a family of flowering plants, which includes ebony and persimmon. the family has approximately 500 species of trees and shrubs in two genera, "diospyros" and "euclea". the species are mostly evergreen and native to the tropics and subtropics, with a few deciduous species native to temperate regions. diospyros contains 450-500 species and a pantropical distribution, with the greatest diversity of species in indonesia and malaysia. euclea contains 20 species, native to africa, the comoro islands, and arabia. a persistent calyx on the fruits is characteristic of the family.