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Cinnamomum
verum J.
Presl
Synonym : Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume
Family
: Lauraceae
Local Names
: Edana, Kachakam, Karuva,
Vayana, Cinnamon
Flowering
and fruiting period:
March – April
Distribution: South West India and Sri Lanka
Habitat: Evergreen and riparian forests, also
cultivated
IUCN
status:
Data Deficient
Endemic:
No
Uses: The bark of this tree
is used as a spice seasoning for meat, sauces, baked goods and drinks. Oil
extracted from the leaves is also used as a flavouring agent in snacks. Oil is
extracted from the bark and used in pharmaceutical and dental preparations. Wood
has very good working qualities.
Key
Characters:
Trees, to 20 m high, bark brown, rough,
cracks vertical. Leaves simple, ovate, elliptic ovate, margin entire. Flowers bisexual, in terminal and axillary,
pale yellow, silky, tube campanulate, lobes 6. Stamens 9 perfect, introrse;
staminodes 3. Ovary half inferior, sessile. Fruit a berry, ellipsoid to
