Leaves alternate, 2-ranked, branchlets often zigzag; frequently minute translucent dots visible in thinner leaves, not aromatic when crushed.
Flowers usually 3–5-merous; calyx persistent and often markedly enlarged in fruit.
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Leaves yellowish green on lower surface, glabrous or glabrescent; buds pubescent, young stems and leaves glabrous or minutely pubescent | 2 |
| Leaves not yellowish green on lower surface, hairy below, sometimes sparsely so; buds, young stems and leaves pubescent | 4 |
| 2 | Leaves mostly more than 8 cm long; petiole and midvein yellowish; buds and young shoots glabrescent; calyx lobes 3 | Diospyros fasciculosa |
| Leaves usually less than 8 cm long; petiole and midvein not yellowish; buds and young shoots pubescent; calyx lobes 4 or 5
Back to 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Leaves lanceolate to ovate, apex acute; secondary veins prominent on both surfaces, forming angle of 70–900 with the midvein; calyx lobes 5 | Diospyros pentamera |
| Leaves oblong, apex obtuse or bluntly pointed; secondary veins obscure below, visible above, forming angle of c. 450 with the midvein; calyx lobes 4
Back to 2 | Diospyros australis |
| 4 | Leaves with secondary veins prominent, curving out to the margin, 7–9 pairs; petiole 2–7 mm long; lamina distinctly hairy below, especially along veins and margins; calyx lobes 4 | Diospyros mabacea |
| Leaves with secondary veins distinct but not prominent, more or less straight, more than 12 pairs; petiole less than 3 mm long; lamina sparsely hairy below; calyx lobes 3
Back to 1 | Diospyros yandina |
