Common Name:

General Information

Cinnamomum oliveri is a strongly aromatic, medium to large sized evergreen tree growing up to 30 metres tall. The stems are usually buttressed[, ].
The plant is a source of essential oils which are sometimes gathered from the wild and used medicinally, as a food flavouring etc. The wood is harvested from the wild and traded as 'camphorwood', a useful general purpose timber.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Australia - New South Wales, Queensland.

Habitat

Found in both low and higher altitude subtropical and warm-temperate rainforest in New South Wales. Moist rainforests, often in poorer soils and usually close to streams in drier areas, at elevations from sea level to 1,100 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	20.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Cinnamomum oliveri grows along the coast of eastern Australia from the fully tropical regions of northern Queensland to the sub-tropical or warm temperate areas of central New South Wales. Older plants can tolerate at least some frost[].
Succeeds in a range of soils so long as they do not dry out[]. Tolerant of poor soils[].
A source of essential oils, but the percentage yield is too low for commercial exploitation[].
The leaves have the aroma of sassafras[].
The plant is slow growing; slender and spindly when young, it eventually thickens and becomes a handsome tree or a dense bush if pruned occasionally[].

Edible Uses

The bark is used locally as a substitute for cinnamon[].

Medicinal

The bark has a strong aromatic perfume and a 9% tannin content which makes it astringent. For these two reasons it can be used as a relatively pleasant diarrhoea treatment[, ].

Other Uses

The leaves contain the essential oil camphor[].
The bark contains an essential oil comprising camphor, safrol and other substances that combine to give a pleasant, long-lasting sarsaparilla-like aroma[].

The aromatic timber is used for general indoor work[]. It could be suitable for making insect-repellent boxes[]. It is a useful, general purpose timber[, ].

Propagation

Seed - the seed of species in this genus generally has a short viability and is best sown as soon in containers as it is ripe[]. Remove the fruit pulp since this can inhibit germination[]. Soaking the seeds for 24 hours in lukewarm water hastens germination[], which can take 1 - 6 months at 20°c[]. The germination rate of fresh seed is about 50%, falling to 25% for seed 6 months old, and zero for those 1 year old[]. Stored seed should be sown as soon as possible in containers[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions when 10cm or more tall.
Cuttings of semi-ripe side shoots, 7cm with a heel, in a frame with bottom heat[].

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