The Collaborative International Dictionary
Excaecaria glandulosa
Ebony \Eb"on*y\, n.; pl. Ebonies. [F. ['e]b[`e]ne, L. ebenus, fr. Gr. ?; prob. of Semitic origin; cf. Heb. hobn[=i]m, pl. Cf. Ebon.] A hard, heavy, and durable wood, which admits of a fine polish or gloss. The usual color is black, but it also occurs red or green.
Note: The finest black ebony is the heartwood of Diospyros reticulata, of the Mauritius. Other species of the same genus ( D. Ebenum, Melanoxylon, etc.), furnish the ebony of the East Indies and Ceylon. The West Indian green ebony is from a leguminous tree ( Brya Ebenus), and from the Exc[ae]caria glandulosa.