CHAPTEK VI 



CINNAMON 



THE cinnamon of commerce is the bark of the tree 

 Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Breyn, of the aromatic 

 order of Laurineae. The tree is a native of Ceylon, 

 occurring in moist low country to an elevation of 2,000 

 ft. (Trimen, Mora of Ceylon), and is said to occur also 

 in Southern India, Burma, and the Malay Peninsula. 

 I have seen no specimens from the Malay Peninsula, 

 undoubtedly wild, but the allied tree Cinnamomum 

 iners, BL, is one of the commonest low country trees, 

 and so closely resembles the true cinnamon that, except 

 for the taste and odour of the bark, I find it very 

 difficult to separate the two plants botanically, and it 

 seems probable to me that the true Ceylon cinnamon is 

 a very aromatic form of C. iners. The bark of this 

 latter varies a good deal in its aroma, but is never 

 as highly flavoured or scented. The Malays use it, 

 however, in medicine and as a spice, though only to 

 a small extent and as a substitute for true cinnamon, 

 which they much prefer. 



Curiously, although so similar the two trees do not 

 flower and fruit simultaneously, for when C. iners is 

 in flower (all trees in the neighbourhood flowering at 

 one time), C. zeylanicum is not to be found in flower 

 or fruit, the flowers usually appearing later. 



DESCRIPTION 



The tree when full grown is usually about 20 ft. 

 in height, but occasionally reaches 40 ft. It has a 



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