Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume

Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume

Know our Plant

Systematic Classification:

Division   : Angiospermae 
Class      : Dicotyledons
Order      : Laurales
Family     : Lauraceae
Genus      : Cinnamomum
Species    : zeylanicum

Common Name:

Cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon tree.

General Information:

Cinnamomum verum or Cinnamon is a small evergreen tree native to Sri Lanka. It is usually 10 to 15 m in height and is a slow-growing plant. The leaves are ovate-oblong in shape, flowers are greenish in colour and are arranged in panicles, and the fruit is a purple drupe containing a single seed.

Economic Importance:

  • The stem bark is used as a flavouring. A very well-known flavouring, it is used in curries and a wide range of sweet dishes.
  • Essential oils, obtained from the leaves and the bark, are used as food flavourings in a range of foods including sauces and pickles, baked goods, confectionery and cola-type drinks.
  • Cinnamon bark oil is employed in a range of dental and pharmaceutical preparations.
  • cinnamon drops were regarded as a tonic, a sedative in childbirth, and a remedy for many common disorders. Cinnamon served as a breath sweetener in the past.