Cinnamomum verum is a slow-growing very ornamental evergreen tree that reaches a height of around 7 - 18 metres in the wild.
In an unharvested state, the bole is stout, 30 - 60cm in diameter.
Under cultivation, the continual removal of shoots by cropping almost to ground level results in the formation of a dense bush with a number of leafy coppiced shoots of 2 - 2.5 metres in height.
The plant is widely cultivated in Tropical areas for its bark which is used as a food flavouring. One of the earliest recorded spices, with records to show it was in use in China 5,000 years ago.

Known Hazards

None known

Habitat

Forests in moist, well-drained soils from sea level to 700 metres.

Cultivation Status

Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Cinnamon can be found at elevations up to 2,000 metres, but for commercial harvesting does best at low altitudes below 500 metres.
It requires a warm and wet climate with an average temperature of about 27°c and no extremes of heat or cold.
Rainfall should be around 2,000 - 2,500mm, well-distributed throughout the year.
Although there can be months in which there is less rain, no prolonged dry season should occur and rain should be received on about 150 days per year.
Prefers a fertile, sandy, moisture-retentive but freely draining soil in full sun or partial shade.
Rocky and stony ground is unsuitable.
Waterlogged and marshy areas should be avoided, as they result in an undesirable, bitter product, which is much less aromatic.
The type of soil has a pronounced effect on bark quality.
Fine sandy and lateritic gravelly soils rather than rocky and stony substrates are best in Sri Lanka and India, but in the Seychelles and Madagascar more loamy soils are preferred.
Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 5 - 7.
The tree usually coppices well.
Commercial production of cinnamon bark entails cutting the stems down low after an initial establishment period and harvesting the bushy regrowth stems at regular intervals thereafter.
Stems are cut during the rainy season to facilitate peeling of the bark in 2 longitudinal strips.
In Sri Lanka, a first harvest may be obtained after 3 - 4 years, although quality and yield improve with subsequent cuttings.
On plantations, cinnamon is cut every 2 years, and the flush of straight shoots generated by coppicing produces the bark that is peeled for cinnamon quills.
The expected yield of bark is 56 - 67 kg/ha after 3 - 4 years, subsequently increasing to 168 - 224 kg/ha.
About 63 kg/ha of chips and approximately 2.5 tonnes/ha of undried leaves can also be obtained.

Edible Uses

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.
The leaves are often used in cooking to impart a cinnamon flavour.

Medicinal

Cinnamon bark oil is employed in a range of dental and pharmaceutical preparations.
Historically, 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. In medieval times, cinnamon was distilled to produce cordials, ostensibly to aid in digestion. In the Orient, cinnamon and its near relatives are still widely used for local remedies, particularly for gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders and as an aphrodisiac. In the Philippines and the Pacific, it is taken to relieve headache. In Colombia, cinnamon sticks are chewed to speed parturition. In Ghana, bark of young shoots are used as a carminative and to treat catarrh (coryza), and the bark extract is an intestinal astringent. In Haiti, the essence is used as a poultice for rheumatism and is taken orally for spasms and for stomach and intestinal gas.

Agroforestry Uses

None Recorded

Other Uses

Cinnamon bark oil possesses the delicate aroma of the spice and a sweet pungent taste. Its major constituent is cinnamaldehyde but other, minor components impart the characteristic odour and flavour. It is employed mainly in the food flavouring industry but is also used in tobacco flavours and for incense. It has limited use in some perfumes.
Cinnamon leaf oil has a warm, spicy, but rather harsh odour, lacking the rich body of the bark oil. Its major constituent is eugenol rather than cinnamaldehyde. As a cheap fragrance, it is added to soaps and insecticides.
Sapwood is light brown, slightly soft; heartwood is brownish-yellow with green cast, or olive to light olive brown to blackish-brown, medium to coarse texture, satiny or silky lustre, straight and often rosy grain, spicy odour. The wood has excellent working qualities.

Propagation

Seed - the seed has a short viability and is best sown as soon as it is ripe.
Remove the fruit pulp since this can inhibit germination.
Germination can take 1 - 6 months at 20°c.
Stored seed should be sown as soon as possible in containers.
The seeds may be sown in nurseries or directly in the field.
Nursery beds should be of well-prepared rich sandy soil free from roots and stones, with an adequate supply of fresh water nearby, and be lightly shaded.
After about 4 months, clumps of seedlings may be transplanted into baskets and are planted out 4 or 5 months later.
Alternatively, the seedlings may be left in the nursery until the final transplanting, the shade having been progressively removed and the seedlings hardened.
Cuttings of semi-ripe side shoots, 7cm with a heel, June/July in a frame with bottom heat.
Division of old rootstocks.
The advantage of dividing old rootstocks is that the stems are ready for cutting at about 12-18 months after planting, compared with as much as 3 years for seedlings.