Cinnamomum philippinense

(Merr.) C. E. Chang

Philippine cinnamon

Lauraceae Edible: Bark - spice Potential hazards — see below

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

iNaturalist· cc-by

Summary

Cinnamomum philippinense is a species of flowering plant in the family Lauraceae, native to Taiwan and the Philippines. It was first described by Elmer Drew Merrill in 1906 as Machilus philippinensis.

Description

An evergreen tree. It grows 15 m tall. The young brown have brown hairs. The leaves are alternate and oval or sword shaped. They are 6-9 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. It tapers to a tip and the base is wedge shaped. The leaf stalk is smooth and 1 cm long. The flowers are small and have both sexes. They are hairy and in groups of 12-16. These are in the axils of leaves or at the ends of branches. The groups are 6-10 cm long. The fruit is round and 7 mm across.

Edible Uses

The bark is used as a spice.

Known Hazards

None mentioned

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in secondary forests up to 1,000 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Asia, Philippines, SE Asia, Taiwan,

Synonyms

Machilus acuminatissima (Hayata) Kaneh.Machilus acuminatissima var. tasulinensis J. C. LiaoMachilus philippinensis Merr.Persea acuminatissima (Hayata) Kosterm.Persea philippinensis (Merr.) Elmer