Euclea
# Euclea

Euclea, from the Greek eukleia meaning "glory and fame", denotes a group of flowering plants in the Ebenaceae or ebony family. They were described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1774. The genus includes evergreen trees and shrubs, native to Africa, the Comoro Islands and Arabia. Several species are used for timber, producing a hard, dark heartwood timber similar to ebony.

## Species

There are some 16 to 18 species, including:

* Euclea acutifolia E.Mey. ex A.DC. – Cape Province
* Euclea angolensis Gürke – Angola
* Euclea asperrima E.Holzh. – Namibia
* Euclea balfourii Hiern ex Balf.f.
* Euclea coriacea A.DC. – Lesotho, South Africa
* Euclea crispa (Thunb.) Gürke – southern Africa
* Euclea dewinteri Retief – Limpopo
* Euclea divinorum Hiern – from Ethiopia to KwaZulu-Natal
* Euclea lancea Thunb. – Cape Province
* Euclea laurina Hiern ex Balf.f.
* Euclea natalensis A.DC. – from Somalia to KwaZulu-Natal
* Euclea neghellensis Cufod. – Ethiopia
* Euclea polyandra (L.f.) E.Mey. ex Hiern – Cape Province
* Euclea pseudebenus E.Mey. ex A.DC. – Angola, Namibia, Cape Province
* Euclea racemosa L. – from Egypt to Cape Province; Comoros, Oman, Yemen
* Euclea sekhukhuniensis Retief, S.J.Siebert & A.E.van Wyk – Mpumalanga
* Euclea tomentosa E.Mey. ex A.DC. – Cape Province
* Euclea undulata Thunb. – from Zimbabwe to KwaZulu-Natal
