seeds of Diospyros armata, Chinese gold beard tree

Diospyros armata, also called Euclea pilosa or Diospyros pilosa, is one of the many species that fall under the genus Diospyros. Diospyros armata has its origins in the Guangdong province located in central China. The plant is commonly known as the Chinese gold beard tree. The distribution of the plant has spread over time to include many areas of China. Diospyros armata is a bushy tree that’s semi-evergreen. The plant can grow to a height of between 5 and 13 metres. The branches have numerous branchlets which all end in a thorn. The leaves are between 0.5 and 2.5 inches in length and between 0.5 and 1.25 inches in width. Smaller leaves have a roundish shape while the larger ones are slightly oval. The two leaves, however, taper off the same way at the ends. The leaves are a dark shade of green that’s slightly glossy. The leaves also have a hairy underside and an apex that is either blunt or rounded. The fruit is globular, green in colour and have bristles all over their surface. The fruit has four ovate lobes and have a diameter of 0.75 inches. The green colour of unripe fruit changes to yellow once the ripening process is complete. Diospyros armata has both male and female flowers. The male flowers grow in the form of corymbose cymes. The flowers are fragrant, white-coloured, shaped like an urn and measure between 4 and 5 mm in width. Diospyros armata is mostly grown for ornamental reasons. The best way to cultivate the plant is through the use of cuttings. Opting for cuttings instead of seeds will result in the plant taking a shorter time to grow and reach maturity. Grafting is also encouraged given it increases the plant's ornamental value. Moreover, it further shortens the time the plant takes to grow and sprout fruit (2 to 3 years).