''Cinnamomum burmanni'' (or ''Cinnamomum burmannii''), also known as Indonesian cinnamon, Padang cassia, Batavia cassia, or korintje, is one of several plants in the genus ''

Cinnamomum ''Cinnamomum'' is a genus of evergreen aromatic trees and shrubs belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The species of ''Cinnamomum'' have aromatic oils in their leaves and bark. The genus contains approximately 234 species, distributed in ...

'' whose bark is sold as the spice

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...

. It is an evergreen tree native to southeast Asia.

Description

''Cinnamomum burmanni'' is an

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

tree growing up to 7 m in height with aromatic bark and smooth, angular branches. The leaves are glossy green, oval, and about long and wide. Small yellow flowers bloom in early summer, and produce a dark drupe.

Distribution

''Cinnamomum burmanni'' is native to tropical

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. It ranges from

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

, southern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

(

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

Sulawesi Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...

, the

Lesser Sunda Islands The Lesser Sunda Islands (, , ), now known as Nusa Tenggara Islands (, or "Southeast Islands"), are an archipelago in the Indonesian archipelago. Most of the Lesser Sunda Islands are located within the Wallacea region, except for the Bali pro ...

), and the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. It has also become invasive in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

since around the 1970s. In Sumatra ''C. burmanni'' is commonly found in

West Sumatra West Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of ...

and western

Jambi Jambi is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the east coast of central Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of i ...

province, with the Kerinci region being especially known as the center of production of quality, high essential-oil crops. On Borneo it occurs in

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...

(Keningau, Lahad Datu, Ranau, Sandakan and Sipitang districts) and

Kalimantan Kalimantan (; ) is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area, and consists of the provinces of Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and West Kalimantan. The non-Ind ...

, where it found in cultivation and in secondary forest, villages, and abandoned plantations to 1,500 metres elevation.Wuu-Kuang, Soh (2011). Taxonomic revision of Cinnamomum (Lauraceae) in Borneo. ''Blumea - Biodiversity, Evolution and Biogeography of Plants'', Volume 56, Number 3, 2011, pp. 241-264(24). Naturalis Biodiversity Center DOI: https://doi.org/10.3767/000651911X615168 ''C. burmanni'' is an introduced species in parts of the subtropical world, particularly in Hawaiʻi, where it is naturalized and invasive. It was introduced to Hawaiʻi from Asia in 1934 as a crop plant.

Use

Aromatic oil can be extracted from the bark, leaves, and roots of ''Cinnamomum burmanni''. The bark is also used as a

bark. The leaves can be used as a spice for preserved food and canned meat instead of laurel leaves. The core contains fat, which can be squeezed for industrial use. The wood is used for fine furniture and other fine work materials. ''C. burmanni'' is also a Chinese herbal medicine. The most common and cheapest type of cinnamon in the US is made from powdered ''C. burmanni''. ''C. burmanni'' oil contains no

eugenol Eugenol is an allyl chain-substituted guaiacol, a member of the allylbenzene class of chemical compounds. It is a colorless to pale yellow, aromatic oily liquid extracted from certain essential oils especially from clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, ...

, but higher amounts of coumarin than '' C. cassia'' and Ceylon cinnamon with 2.1 g/kg in an authenticated sample, and a mean of 5.0 g/kg in 8 samples tested. It is also sold as quills of one layer.

Gallery

File:Cinnamomum burmanni, blom en blomknoppe, a, Manie van der Schijff BT.jpg, File:Cinnamomum burmanni, blomtakkies, a, Manie van der Schijff BT.jpg, File:Cinnamomum burmanni, vrug, byna ryp, b, Manie van der Schijff BT.jpg, File:CinnamonQuills.JPG, File:陰香 Cinnamomum burmanni 20210627102154 07.jpg, Inflorescence axillary.The new stems is red, which is one of the characteristics of C. burmannii. File:陰香 Cinnamomum burmannii 20210627102154 16.jpg, The ternate vein is protruding on the back of the leaf. The leaf surface is smooth. File:陰香 Cinnamomum burmanni 20210627102154 17.jpg, The top of the hypocarp is truncated. File:陰香 Cinnamomum burmanni 20210627102154 22.jpg, Foliage File:陰香 Cinnamomum burmannii 20210627102154 27.jpg, Branches File:陰香 Cinnamomum burmanni 20210627102154 19.jpg, New leaves File:陰香 Cinnamomum burmanni 20210627102154 28.jpg, Bark

References

External links

Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR) Cinnamomum burmannii Page
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4115136 burmanni Spices Flora of Indo-China Flora of Malesia Taxa named by Carl Ludwig Blume Lauraceae of Borneo