A common ornamental plant or shade tree in homes or gardens, Diospyros discolor is known as velvet apple or “pokok mentega” in Malay. It is aseasonal and produces many fruits and flowers, especially from June to July (Aman, 2016). This medium-sized tree (up to 20 m tall) is found in lowland and secondary forests, from sea level up to 800 m high. It is distributed in Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia (i.e., mainly in Pahang, Melaka and Kedah) (Zawiah & Othaman, 2012).

Diospyros discolor is an evergreen tree with a dense and lush conical crown. The trunk is upright, 50-80 cm in diameter, with dark brown bark that turns black when older. The leaves are thick, oblong (8-30 cm long and 3-15 cm wide), smooth, shiny above and filled with fine hairs beneath. It is dioecious, with separate plants bearing either male or female flowers. The flowers are yellowish-white and about 1 cm long (Zawiah & Othaman, 2012). The berry fruits are large, reddish brown and roundish (5-9 cm long and 9-12 cm wide) with a velvety texture. When ripe, the fruits emanate an aromatic, sweet and strong odour. The fruit flesh is creamy white and tastes sweet (Adnan et al, 2018). In addition, the ripe fruits can also be used to make jams or mixed with other fruits and eaten as a “rojak” (Zawiah & Othaman, 2012).

Apart from being planted as an ornamental tree, in the Philippines, this tree is widely cultivated for its fruits and wood for handicrafts. In Malaysia, the leaves and fruit skins can be used in traditional medicine (Zawiah & Othaman, 2012). To date, the conservation status of this species has not been formally assessed but it is considered Least Concern because it is common and widely used as an ornamental plant (Adnan et al., 2018).