Lauraceae
Cinnamomum

Cinnamomum verum J.Presl

First published in F.Berchtold & J.S.Presl, Přir. Rostlin Aneb. Rostl. 2: 36 (1823)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Sri Lanka. It is a tree and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome. It is used as a medicine, has environmental uses and for fuel and food.

Descriptions

Lauraceae, Bernard Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1996

Morphology General Habit
Small tree to 12 m.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves bright red when young, green with age, subopposite, ovate-oblong, elliptic or lanceolate, 5-19 cm. long, (2-)5-9.5 cm. wide, narrowed to a narrowly rounded tip, cuneate to truncate at the base, prominently 3-5-nerved from the base, coriaceous, glossy, without glands in the nerve-axils.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers small, yellowish or greenish white, silky outside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits brown or black, ovoid, 1.3 cm. long.
[FTEA]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
canela, canelo
[UNAL]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 200 - 800 m.; Amazonia, Orinoquia, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Árbol
[CPLC]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Amazonia, Orinoquia. Elevation range: 200–800 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Colombian departments: Caquetá, Casanare, Tolima.
Habit
Tree.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, shrubland, artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/178345032/178345072

Conservation
VU - vulnerable
[IUCN]

Uses

Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Fuel
Used for fuels.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Common Names

English
Cinnamon

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0