Write a short note about Ebony wood.
Ebony is widely distributed in the tropics. The best Eboby is very heavy, almost black, and derived from heartwood only. Because of its colour, durability, hardness, and ability to take a high polish, ebony is used for cabinetwork and inlaying, piano keys, knife handles, and turned articles. It was employed by the ancient kings of India for sceptres and images and, because of its supposed antagonism to poison, for drinking cups.
The best Indian and Ceylon ebony is produced by Diospyros ebenum, which grows in abundance throughout the flat country west of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka.