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Cinnamomum verum

Cinnamon Tree

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Image:	Leaves and fruit	67KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Cinnamon Tree, Ceylon Cinnamon; German Ceylonzimt

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Sri Lanka - sw.India

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; Land, lowlands - mountains (+++) (mid-elev.)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: (Cond) bark; Invasive - moderate

KEY FEATURES: A small tree to 10m. LEAVES along the branches, opposite-subopposite, narrow-oval, to 15x8cm, 3 longitudinal veins, green or red; stalk thick, to 1cm. FLOWERS in long-branched clusters; small and grey. FRUIT oval, ~1cm long; petals persistent around base.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: -
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+++	-	-	-	++L	-	-	-	-

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Cinnamomum verum J.Presl
SYNONYMS: Cinnamomum zeylanicum; Laurus zeylanicum

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); MAGNOLIIDAE; Laurales; LAURACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: (Cond) bark. Comments: (Cond) bark
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Invasive - moderate

GENERAL NOTE: Spice cinnamon from the inner-bark of shoots, and cinnamon oil from bark and leaves.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Mitiaro: northern foodland, 30sqm, young plants, 3/2002, Jim and Tim.

References:
p.846 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.362 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.272 Hortus 3rd
p.253 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.534 Tropica
p.2/123 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM04b, zD02, zupD04b

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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