Cinnamomum bodinieri Seeds | Bodinier’s Cinnamon
LATIN NAME: Cinnamomum bodinieri
COMMON NAME: Bodinier’s Cinnamon
Plant Profile
Known to gardeners as Bodinier’s Cinnamon, Cinnamomum bodinieri is an evergreen tree. In evergreen woods and stream valleys of the west, Bodinier’s cinnamon grows as a medium, evergreen tree with oval, pointed, glossy leaves and small, pale flowers in loose panicles of spring, small, dark fruits ripening in the autumn. Over time it grows an open, airy crown, reaching twenty metres or more. Full sun suits it best, with deep, fertile ground. Established plants reach around Twenty metres. Together these qualities explain its long-standing appeal to gardeners.
Science & Biotechnology
Botanists studying the Cinnamomum group regularly include Cinnamomum bodinieri in comparative work, and the species also appears in horticultural trials aimed at gardeners and growers. Species has also been studied in horticulture, since it is a handsome, glossy, aromatic tree, and its cultivation has been examined. With present-day seed handling, raising this species well within the reach of any careful grower.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Bodinier’s Cinnamon for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. Ecologically, Bodiniers camphor tree is a handsome tree of the southern Chinese landscape. Its glossy crown gives shelter, its small fruits feed birds, and its aromatic foliage perfumes air, while it is a familiar presence along roads and streams of its home. For a grower, Bodiniers camphor tree is a rewarding and aromatic tree, and for a gardener in a warm region it brings glossy, scented foliage and a spreading crown. A plant that has settled in will get along with only routine care.
Cinnamon is a spice and a medicine chest: its bark oil and polyphenols are studied for post-meal blood-sugar support, and cassia bark, Rou Gui, is a major warming herb of Chinese medicine. The leaf oil supplies eugenol for dentistry and flavoring.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Bodinier’s Cinnamon under ordinary good conditions. Sow the seed evenly over the surface and cover lightly, using a loose, well-drained seed compost, and keep it just moist in full sun until the seedlings are well up. Prick the seedlings out once they are large enough to handle, grow them on in bright light, and plant out when conditions allow.
Our Take
Its long record of traditional use, described above, gives the plant a story beyond ornament. Given the right start, Bodinier”s Cinnamon is a long-term garden companion. After establishment, care settles into an easy routine.
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