Cinnamomum verum Seeds | Ceylon Cinnamon

Dark brown Ceylon Cinnamon seeds, oval and smooth, on a plain background — Ceylon Cinnamon (*Cinnamomum verum*): Lauraceae, native to the warm forests of Sri Lanka and southern India.

LATIN NAME: Cinnamomum verum

COMMON NAME: Ceylon Cinnamon, True Cinnamon, Cinnamon

Plant Profile

Ceylon Cinnamon is a small evergreen tree of the laurel family, reaching ten to fifteen metres in the wild with a smooth, grey bark and glossy, oval, three-veined leaves. Its small, pale yellow flowers are followed by purple berries, and the bark, stripped from young shoots and dried, curls into the thin, layered quills that are sold as true cinnamon.

It comes from the warm, wet forests of Sri Lanka and southern India, and has been traded for at least three thousand years. The spice is harvested from coppiced shoots two or three years old, cut in the wet season when the bark lifts easily.

Science & Biotechnology

True cinnamon is distinguished from cassia by its thin, fragile quills and by its chemistry: Ceylon cinnamon is low in coumarin, the compound that gives cassia its heavier flavour and that is hepatotoxic in large doses. Its bark oil is dominated by cinnamaldehyde, with eugenol and linalool contributing the floral note.

Extracts of the bark have been studied for their effect on blood glucose after meals, and cinnamon polyphenols are the subject of ongoing work on insulin sensitivity; the results are mixed but the research is active. The leaf oil, which is rich in eugenol, is a separate commercial product used in dentistry and flavouring. Sri Lankan growers grade the quills by diameter, and the finest, known as alba, comes from the thinnest shoots.

Uses & Benefits

The bark is the spice: it flavours sweet and savoury dishes, mulled drinks and baked goods, and it is used whole in rice and curries. The quills are also used as a stirrer for hot drinks in Mexico and as a garnish in cocktails.

In the garden it is a tropical tree for a conservatory or a frost-free climate, grown for its aromatic foliage and its glossy habit. The leaves can be used fresh in cooking, and the bark of garden-grown plants can be harvested from pruned shoots once the tree is old enough to spare them. In Sri Lanka the bark is also used in Ayurvedic preparations for digestion, and the leaves flavour rice and curries.

Growing from Seed

Sow fresh seed, cleaned of its pulp, in a loose, free-draining tropical mix at 25 to 30 °C. Germination is quick, often within two to four weeks, and the seed loses viability within a few weeks, so sow it soon after harvest.

Grow the seedlings in bright, humid conditions, shaded from the strongest sun when young. Plant out in rich, well-drained soil in a frost-free climate, or keep the tree in a large pot and move it indoors for winter. Water regularly and mulch heavily; the tree responds well to coppicing, which is also how the spice is harvested. Seedlings are best raised under shade cloth, since full sun scorches the young leaves in their first season.

Our Take

True cinnamon, lighter and more delicate than cassia, and low in coumarin. A tropical tree for a warm greenhouse, grown as much for its leaves as its bark.

Tree Seeds