# Cinnamomum

Cinnamomum is a genus of evergreen aromatic trees and shrubs belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The species of Cinnamomum have aromatic oils in their leaves and bark. The genus contains approximately 250 species, distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania/Australasia. The genus includes a great number of economically important trees used to produce the spice of cinnamon.

## Habitat

This genus is present in the Himalayas and other mountain areas and is present in tropical and subtropical montane rainforests, in the weed-tree forests, in valleys, and mixed forests of coniferous and deciduous broad-leaved trees, from southern China, India, and Southeast Asia. Some species, such as Cinnamomum camphora, tolerate drought.

## Characteristics

All species tested so far are diploid, with the total number of chromosomes being 24. This Lauraceae genus comprises approximately 250 trees and shrubs and most are aromatic. Some trees produce sprouts. The thick, leathery leaves are dark green, lauroid type. Laurophyll or lauroid leaves are characterized by a generous layer of wax, making them glossy in appearance, and narrow, pointed oval in shape with an 'apical mucro', or 'drip tip', which permits the leaves to shed water despite the humidity, allowing respiration from plant.
Mostly, the plants present a distinct odor. Their alternate leaves are ovate-elliptic, with margins entire or occasionally repand, with acute apices and broadly cuneate to subrounded bases. Upper leaf surfaces are shiny green to yellowish-green, while the undersides are opaque and lighter in color. Mature leaves are dark green. Young leaves are reddish brown to yellowish-red. The leaves are glabrous on both surfaces or sparsely puberulent beneath only when young; the leaves are mostly triplinerved or sometimes inconspicuously five-nerved, with conspicuous midrib on both surfaces. The axils of lateral nerves and veins are conspicuously bullate above and dome-shaped. Terminal buds are perulate.
The axillary panicle is 3.5–7 cm long. It is a genus of monoecious species, with hermaphrodite flowers, greenish white, white to yellow are glabrous or downy and pale to yellowish brown. Mostly the flowers are small. The perianth is glabrous or puberulent outside and densely pubescent inside. The purplish-black fruit is an ovate, ellipsoidal or subglobose drupe. The perianth-cup in fruit is cupuliform.
Cinnamomum parthenoxylon and Cinnamomum camphora are large evergreen trees that can grow to 30 m in height with trunks 3 m in diameter, with broadly ovate crowns. Terminal buds are broadly ovoid or globular, and covered with sericeous scales. Bark is yellowish-brown with irregular vertical splits. Branches are light brown, cylindrical, and glabrous.
The inner bark of several species is used to make the spice cinnamon. Other notable species are C. tamala, used as the herb malabathrum (also called tejpat and Indian bay leaf), and C. camphora, from which camphor is produced.

## Accepted species

About 250 species are accepted, including several commercially important ones.
A molecular study found that species from the tropical Americas classed in Cinnamomum were not closely related to the Paleotropical species, and have been reclassified with related species in genus Aiouea.
* Cinnamomum agasthyamalayanum
* Cinnamomum alibertii
* Cinnamomum alternifolium
* Cinnamomum altissimum
* Cinnamomum anacardium
* Cinnamomum andersonii
* Cinnamomum angustifolium
* Cinnamomum angustitepalum
* Cinnamomum appelianum
* Cinnamomum archboldianum
* Cinnamomum arfakense
* Cinnamomum aromaticum – Chinese cinnamon or cassia (C. cassia)
* Cinnamomum asomicum
* Cinnamomum assamicum
* Cinnamomum aubletii
* Cinnamomum aureofulvum
* Cinnamomum auricolor
* Cinnamomum austrosinense
* Cinnamomum austroyunnanense'
* Cinnamomum baileyanum
* Cinnamomum baillonii
* Cinnamomum balansae
* Cinnamomum bamoense
* Cinnamomum beccarii
* Cinnamomum bejolghota
* Cinnamomum bhamoensis
* Cinnamomum bhaskarii
* Cinnamomum birmanicum
* Cinnamomum bishnupadae
* Cinnamomum blandfordii
* Cinnamomum blumei
* Cinnamomum bokorense
* Cinnamomum bonii
* Cinnamomum brachythyrsum
* Cinnamomum burmanni – Indonesian cinnamon
* Cinnamomum calciphilum
* Cinnamomum cambodianum
* Cinnamomum capparu-coronde
* Cinnamomum carrierei
* Cinnamomum caryophyllus
* Cinnamomum cebuense
* Cinnamomum celebicum
* Cinnamomum chago
* Cinnamomum champokianum
* Cinnamomum chantinii
* Cinnamomum chemungianum
* Cinnamomum citriodorum – Malabar cinnamon
* Cinnamomum clemensii
* Cinnamomum contractum
* Cinnamomum cordatum
* Cinnamomum corneri
* Cinnamomum crassinervium
* Cinnamomum crenulicupulum
* Cinnamomum culilawan
* Cinnamomum cupulatum
* Cinnamomum curvifolium
* Cinnamomum cuspidatum
* Cinnamomum damhaense
* Cinnamomum daphnoides
* Cinnamomum decaisnei
* Cinnamomum decourtilzill
* Cinnamomum degeneri
* Cinnamomum deschampsii
* Cinnamomum dimorphandrum
* Cinnamomum doederleinii
* Cinnamomum dominii
* Cinnamomum dubium – Wild cinnamon
* Cinnamomum durifolium
* Cinnamomum x durifruticeticola
* Cinnamomum eboaloi
* Cinnamomum ellipticifolium
* Cinnamomum englerianum
* Cinnamomum eugenoliferum
* Cinnamomum filipedicellatum
* Cinnamomum fitianum
* Cinnamomum gamblei
* Cinnamomum gaudichaudii
* Cinnamomum glaucescens
* Cinnamomum glauciphyllum
* Cinnamomum goaense
* Cinnamomum gracillimum
* Cinnamomum helferi
* Cinnamomum heyneanum
* Cinnamomum hkinlumense
* Cinnamomum hookeri
* Cinnamomum impressinervium
* Cinnamomum inconspicuum
* Cinnamomum iners
* Cinnamomum insularimontanum
* Cinnamomum javanicum
* Cinnamomum jensenianum
* Cinnamomum kalbaricum
* Cinnamomum kami
* Cinnamomum kanehirae – stout camphor tree; endemic to Taiwan
* Cinnamomum keralaense
* Cinnamomum kerangas
* Cinnamomum kerrii
* Cinnamomum kinabaluense
* Cinnamomum kingdon-wardii
* Cinnamomum kotoense
* Cinnamomum kunstleri
* Cinnamomum kwangtungense
* Cinnamomum lanaoeense
* Cinnamomum lanuginosum
* Cinnamomum laubatii
* Cinnamomum lawang
* Cinnamomum ledermannii
* Cinnamomum liangii
* Cinnamomum ligneum
* Cinnamomum lineatum
* Cinnamomum lioui
* Cinnamomum litsaeifolium
* Cinnamomum loheri
* Cinnamomum lohitensis
* Cinnamomum longipedicellatum
* Cinnamomum loureiroi – Saigon cinnamon
* Cinnamomum lucens
* Cinnamomum mabberleyi
* Cinnamomum macrocarpum
* Cinnamomum macrophyllum
* Cinnamomum magnificum
* Cinnamomum mairei
* Cinnamomum malabatrum
* Cinnamomum melastomaceum
* Cinnamomum melliodorum
* Cinnamomum mendozae
* Cinnamomum mercadoi S.Vidal – kalingag tree
* Cinnamomum microphyllum
* Cinnamomum mohanense
* Cinnamomum mollissiumum
* Cinnamomum myrianthum
* Cinnamomum nalingway
* Cinnamomum nanophyllum
* Cinnamomum neesii
* Cinnamomum nilagricum
* Cinnamomum novae-britanniae
* Cinnamomum oblongum
* Cinnamomum obscurum
* Cinnamomum oliveri
* Cinnamomum osmophloeum – pseudocinnamomum
* Cinnamomum ovalifolium
* Cinnamomum pachypes
* Cinnamomum pachyphyllum
* Cinnamomum paiei
* Cinnamomum pallidum
* Cinnamomum panayense
* Cinnamomum paraneuron
* Cinnamomum pedatinervium
* Cinnamomum pendulum
* Cinnamomum percoriaceum
* Cinnamomum perglabrum
* Cinnamomum perrottetii
* Cinnamomum pilosum
* Cinnamomum pingbienense
* Cinnamomum piniodorum
* Cinnamomum pittosporoides
* Cinnamomum podagricum
* Cinnamomum polderi
* Cinnamomum politum
* Cinnamomum polyadelphium
* Cinnamomum porphyrospermum
* Cinnamomum propinquum
* Cinnamomum pseudopedunculatum
* Cinnamomum puberulum
* Cinnamomum racemosum
* Cinnamomum reticulatum
* Cinnamomum rhynchophyllum
* Cinnamomum rigidissimum
* Cinnamomum rigidum
* Cinnamomum riparium
* Cinnamomum rivulorum
* Cinnamomum rosiflorum
* Cinnamomum rosselianum
* Cinnamomum rumphii
* Cinnamomum rupestre
* Cinnamomum sancti-caroli
* Cinnamomum sandkuhlii
* Cinnamomum sanjappae
* Cinnamomum saxatile
* Cinnamomum scalarinervium
* Cinnamomum scortechinii
* Cinnamomum selangorense
* Cinnamomum sericans
* Cinnamomum sessilifolium
* Cinnamomum siamense
* Cinnamomum sieboldii
* Cinnamomum sinharajaense
* Cinnamomum sintoc Blume
* Cinnamomum sleumeri
* Cinnamomum solomonense
* Cinnamomum splendens
* Cinnamomum spurium
* Cinnamomum subaveniopsis
* Cinnamomum sublanuginosum
* Cinnamomum subsericeum
* Cinnamomum subtetrapterum
* Cinnamomum sulavesianum
* Cinnamomum sulphuratum
* Cinnamomum sumatranum
* Cinnamomum suvrae
* Cinnamomum szechuanense
* Cinnamomum tahijanum
* Cinnamomum talawaense
* Cinnamomum tamala – tejpat, Indian bay leaf, or malabathrum
* Cinnamomum tavoyanum
* Cinnamomum tazia
* Cinnamomum tenuifolium – Japanese cinnamon
* Cinnamomum tetragonum
* Cinnamomum travancoricum
* Cinnamomum trichophyllum
* Cinnamomum trinervatum
* Cinnamomum tsangii
* Cinnamomum utile
* Cinnamomum vaccinifolium
* Cinnamomum validinerve
* Cinnamomum verum – cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon, or true cinnamon
* Cinnamomum villosulum
* Cinnamomum vimineum
* Cinnamomum virens – red-barked sassafras, eastern Australia
* Cinnamomum vitiense
* Cinnamomum walaiwarense
* Cinnamomum wightii
* Cinnamomum wilsonii
* Cinnamomum woulfei
* Cinnamomum xanthoneurum
* Cinnamomum yabunikkei
Species transferred to Camphora:
* Camphora bodinieri ≡ Cinnamomum bodinieri
* Camphora brachythyrsa ≡ Cinnamomum brachythyrsum
* Camphora chartophylla ≡ Cinnamomum chartophyllum
* Camphora foveolata ≡ Cinnamomum foveolatum
* Camphora glandulifera ≡ Cinnamomum glanduliferum
* Camphora illicioides ≡ Cinnamomum ilicioides
* Camphora longepaniculata ≡ Cinnamomum longepaniculatum
* Camphora micrantha ≡ Cinnamomum micranthum
* Camphora migao ≡ Cinnamomum migao
* Camphora mollifolia ≡ Cinnamomum mollifolium
* Camphora officinarum ≡ Cinnamomum camphora
* Camphora parthenoxylon ≡ Cinnamomum parthenoxylon
* Camphora philippinensis ≡ Cinnamomum philippinense
* Camphora platyphylla ≡ Cinnamomum platyphyllum
* Camphora purpurea ≡ Cinnamomum purpureum
* Camphora rufotomentosa ≡ Cinnamomum rufomentosum
* Camphora septentrionalis ≡ Cinnamomum septentrionale
* Camphora tenuipilis ≡ Cinnamomum tenuipile