Scientific Name : Cinnamomum parthenoxylon (Jack) Meisn.
Common Name : Yellow Cinnamomum, Yellow Camphor-tree
Chinese Name : 黃樟，黃樟木
Family : LAURACEAE
Local distribution status : Native species
| Origins | Southern, Southwestern China, and is widely distributed in India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Southern Australia. |
|---|---|
| Vitality | Sassafras Wood and fruit with a strong smell of camphor can be insect repellent. |
| Application | The essential oils extracted from its wood and leaves, known as ‘camphora oil’, are competent to expel household pests. Since the wood is sturdy and highly resistant to insects and fungi, it is yearned for making ships, furniture and artworks. The seeds can also be processed into soaps. Moreover, the tree serves versatile medicinal functions and is commonly processed into traditional Chinese medicines to treat rheumatoid and dysentery. Regarding its straight trunk and large canopy, Yellow Cinnamomum is a superb street tree species for providing shade effect. |
| Yellow Cinnamomum and Cinnamomum camphora (Camphor Tree) | Both species are the members of Cinnamomum and share imperceptible appearances. The most critical trait to differentiate is that the leaves of Camphor Tree are triplinerved, while those of Yellow Cinnamomum are pinnately veined and arranged. |
| Growing habit | Evergreen tree. |
|---|---|
| Height | To 20 m. |
| Stem | Bark greenish brown, with deep longitudinal fissures, peeling off in small flakes. |
| Leaves | Simple leaves alternate. Blade leathery, glabrous, abaxially pale green, elliptic-ovate or long elliptic-ovate, apex always acute or shortly acuminate, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, entire, pinnately veined, inconspicuous bulges at axils of lateral veins. Smell of camphor when crushed. |
| Flower | Panicles or cymes axillary on branchlets. Flowers small, greenish yellow. |
| Fruit | Fruit globose, turning black at maturity. |
| Flowering period | March to May in Hong Kong. |
| Fruiting period | April to October in Hong Kong. |
Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website :
https://herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=6136
Scientific names from other databases
― Flora of China : Cinnamomum parthenoxylon (Jack) Meisner
― Plants of the World Online : Cinnamomum parthenoxylon (Jack) Meisn.