Cinnamomum camphora Seeds | Camphor Tree
LATIN NAME: Cinnamomum camphora
COMMON NAME: Camphor Tree, Camphor Laurel
Plant Profile
Camphor Tree (Cinnamomum camphora) grows as a large, evergreen tree in the laurel family, native to warm forests of eastern Asia, while it is grown for its fragrant wood. Camphor tree is one of the most fragrant and most useful of the evergreen trees of the warm East, and its name has travelled world through trade of the camphor. Established plants reach around Thirty metres. It is the sort of plant that quietly justifies the space it occupies.
Science & Biotechnology
The species features in the wider study of the laurel family, and its traits make it a useful subject for work on germination biology, cultivation and ornamental selection. Camphor tree has a real and distinguished place in the research. Raising it from seed today is a matter of ordinary good practice rather than specialist skill.
Uses & Benefits
Camphor Tree works well in borders, containers and dedicated beds. Ecologically, camphor tree is a generous tree of the garden. Its many small, pale-yellow flowers feed bees and many insects, and its small, round, black berries feed birds, while its fine, dense, evergreen crown gives a fine cover and a shelter to birds through the year. For a grower, camphor tree is an easy and rewarding tree, and for a gardener it brings an aromatic, glossy, evergreen, berry-bearing tree to warm garden. After the first season it asks for very little beyond a place that suits it.
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
Seed is the natural starting point for Camphor Tree, and the process is uncomplicated. Sow evenly over the surface and cover lightly into a loose, well-drained seed compost, water in gently, and keep the sowing in bright light with steady moisture. Transplant the sturdiest seedlings to their permanent spots and let them develop without disturbance.
Our Take
Camphor Tree, Camphor Laurel settles in quickly once it finds its footing. Plant it in sun with drainage to its liking and the rest is easy.
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