Cinnamon
Family Lauraceae
Cinnamomum zeylanicum, cinnamon (C. zeylanicum 1), is an evergreen tree, up to 17 m high, with opposite, stiff and leathery 3-veined leaves, which are reddish when young; and small cream-coloured flowers (C. zeylanicum 2) borne in axillary and terminal panicles. The fruit is a berry (C. zeylanicum 3), 1.5-2 cm long, with an enlarged calyx at the base. The bark and leaves are strongly aromatic and are used as a spice since time immemorial.
Distribution
Cinnamon is a native of Sri Lanka and Southwest India and seems to have reached Egypt and Europe by the 5th century BC. In 1536 the Portuguese occupied Sri Lanka, which was called Ceylon at that time, for the sake of the cinnamon trade. In 1556 they were ousted by the Dutch, who kept the monopoly until 1796, when the British ousted them in turn. The Dutch started commercial cultivation on Sri Lanka in 1770 and introduced it in 1825 on Java. Today it is cultivated in southern India, Madagascar, the Seychelles, and Brazil. Sri Lanka produces the best quality.
Use
Twice a year young shoots are cut and the bark removed as an entire piece. On drying the scraped bark contracts into a quill, which is brown in colour. This quill, together with powdered cinnamon, is used as a spice or condiment, in curry powder and incense. Cinnamon oil, produced by distillation from chips of bark of less quality (C. zeylanicum 4) and green leaves, is used for flavouring confectionery, soap and perfumes, ice cream, liqueurs, and in pharmaceutical and dental preparations.