If you would like to support this site, please consider Donating.
Useful Tropical Plants

Cinnamomum loureiroi

Nees

Lauraceae


The scientific name was originally spelled as Cinnamomum loureirii, but because the species is named after the botanist João de Loureiro, this is to be treated under the International Code of Nomenclature as an orthographic error for the correctly derived spelling of loureiroi.

+ Synonyms

Common Name: Saigon Cinnamon

No Image.

General Information

Cinnamomum loureiroi is an evergreen tree that can grow 15 - 20 metres tall[
785
Title
Medicinal Plants of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
Publication
 
Author
Nguyen Van Duong
Publisher
Mekong Printing; Vietnam (Printers)
Year
1993
ISBN
0-9837303-1-2
Description
Published by the author, this is an excellent book on the medicinal attributes of plants growing in the area that used to be called Indo-China.
].
The bark is gathered from the wild, and the plant is also sometimes cultivated, for use as a spice and medicine. It is considered by some to be a superior spice to true cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum).

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References


Range

E. Asia - Vietnam.

Habitat

Forests at low to medium elevations, occasionally ascending to 2,000 metres[
785
Title
Medicinal Plants of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
Publication
 
Author
Nguyen Van Duong
Publisher
Mekong Printing; Vietnam (Printers)
Year
1993
ISBN
0-9837303-1-2
Description
Published by the author, this is an excellent book on the medicinal attributes of plants growing in the area that used to be called Indo-China.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *  *  *
Medicinal Rating *  *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitEvergreen Tree
Height17.50 m
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of moist lowland areas in the tropics and subtropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,000 metres[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperature is 20 - 30°c, but tolerates 17 - 34°c[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall of 2,500 - 3,000mm, tolerating 1,500 - 3,500mm[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. It grows in areas with all year rainfall and also with a distinct dry season[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
].
Prefers a fertile, sandy, moisture-retentive but freely draining soil in full sun or partial shade[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6.4, tolerating 4.5 - 8[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
].
Harvest of superior bark cannot usually take place until the trees are at least 10 - 12 years old[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
].

Edible Uses

The bark, and an essential oil obtained from it, are much used as a flavouring in a wide range of foods[
301
Title
Cornucopia II
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications, California.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-9628087-2-5
Description
The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. Highly esteemed in China and Japan, and considered by many to be superior to the more widely used cinnamon (C. verum)[
301
Title
Cornucopia II
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications, California.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-9628087-2-5
Description
The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. The bark is sweeter than cinnamon and is used for baking and is made into a cordial[
238
Title
Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
Publication
 
Author
Bown. D.
Publisher
Dorling Kindersley, London.
Year
1995
ISBN
0-7513-020-31
Description
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
]. The bark is usually harvested from young branches[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. The bark is peeled from the stems and branches and set aside to dry. Some varieties are scraped. While drying, the bark curls into quills. The colour varies from light reddish brown for the thin, scraped bark to grey for the thick, unscraped bark[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
].

The unripe fruits are dried and sold as cassia buds, for use as food flavourings[
301
Title
Cornucopia II
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications, California.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-9628087-2-5
Description
The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. They have a cinnamon-like aroma and a warm, sweet, pungent taste akin to that of cassia bark[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
].

Medicinal

The dried bark is aromatic, astringent, carminative, stimulant and stomachic[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
785
Title
Medicinal Plants of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
Publication
 
Author
Nguyen Van Duong
Publisher
Mekong Printing; Vietnam (Printers)
Year
1993
ISBN
0-9837303-1-2
Description
Published by the author, this is an excellent book on the medicinal attributes of plants growing in the area that used to be called Indo-China.
]. It is often used in association with other medicines[
785
Title
Medicinal Plants of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
Publication
 
Author
Nguyen Van Duong
Publisher
Mekong Printing; Vietnam (Printers)
Year
1993
ISBN
0-9837303-1-2
Description
Published by the author, this is an excellent book on the medicinal attributes of plants growing in the area that used to be called Indo-China.
].

The bark contains around 2.5% essential oil, which is particularly rich in cinnamic acid[
785
Title
Medicinal Plants of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
Publication
 
Author
Nguyen Van Duong
Publisher
Mekong Printing; Vietnam (Printers)
Year
1993
ISBN
0-9837303-1-2
Description
Published by the author, this is an excellent book on the medicinal attributes of plants growing in the area that used to be called Indo-China.
].

Other Uses

The bark contains 1 to 7% of essential oil[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
].
An extract from the bark is an ingredient of commercial cosmetic preparations, where it is used as a skin conditioner[
1243
Title
CosIng
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
CosIng is the European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients.
].

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[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Remove the fruit pulp since this can inhibit germination[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Soaking the seeds for 24 hours in lukewarm water hastens germination[
303
Title
World Agroforesty Centre
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
], which can take 1 - 6 months at 20°c[
164
Title
Growing from Seed. Volume 4.
Publication
 
Author
Bird. R. (Editor)
Publisher
Thompson and Morgan.
Year
1990
ISBN
-
Description
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.
]. The germination rate of fresh seed is about 50%, falling to 25% for seed 6 months old, and zero for those 1 year old[
303
Title
World Agroforesty Centre
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
]. Stored seed should be sown as soon as possible in containers[
78
Title
Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers.
Publication
 
Author
Sheat. W. G.
Publisher
MacMillan and Co
Year
1948
ISBN
-
Description
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
]. 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[
78
Title
Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers.
Publication
 
Author
Sheat. W. G.
Publisher
MacMillan and Co
Year
1948
ISBN
-
Description
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
].
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-10-08. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Cinnamomum+loureiroi>

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.