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Lauraceae Cinnamomum verum Bercht. & Presl

Lauraceae Cinnamomum verum
| | © W.D. Hawthorne

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Species information

Interest
Cinnamomum - asia, asutralia, fiji. Indian Cassia from C. tamala, vs used as spice. Some spp-> camphor Cinnamon from Ceylon. 'doubtful used in embalming'. Reached Egypt and Europe b 5th C BC. Unlikely that cinnamon=C.zeylanicum Poruguese obtained 250,000lb/yr tribute from the Sinhalese king. In 16th C. (Purseglove, 1968). Cinnamomum zeylanicum from Sri lanka.Oils by steam distillation of bark and leaves. 'Cassia Oil' from China cinnamon. Many spp. and confusion over names. Hendrik von rheede Hortus Indicus Malabaricus 1678-1685. Greek word for spice prefix Chinese. Word from Phoenician; both in Sanskrit and Old testament. Used for embalming by Egyptians by 1885 BC. Arab controlled trade, taking from Malabar, until Portugues etc. Cassia from India eastwards- in Vietnam several wild spp. (esp. C.aromaticum) Comfit boxes. Home remedy kits c 12 different pastilles, sugar, honey, saffron and spices. (Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, anise, fennel). Cinnamon as tonic, childboirhth sedative, breath sweetener, guts and respiratory disorders. (Smith et al., 1992) Active ingredient is cinnamonaldehyde; It is popularly used in many countries in toddies, biscuits, cookies, chewing gum, toothpaste or as a fragrance (household etc)

Specimen information

Collection Date
18/06/2001

Collector
W.D. Hawthorne, S.Cable & D. Jules

Specimen Number
558

Location
Botanical garden around waterfall.

Notes
Tree 9 m tall. BARK: smooth, grey, small prominant lenticels. SLASH: brittle, soft, orange. LEAVES: nerves prominant above and below. FRUIT: green, imm. (RHS colour code: Leaf upper =137A, below=137C)

Coordinates
Latitude: 12.050000 N   Longitude: 61.430000 W   Altitude: 170