Cinnamomum camphora

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Cinnamomum camphora
Light:Full Sun Part Shade
Moisture:Mesic
Hardiness:9
Soil pH:5.6-8.4
Evergreen
Height:20'
Width:20'
Speed:Slow
Blooms:Early Spring-Early Summer
Open Woods Forest
Native to:
Edible Rating:PFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating:PFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal Rating
Tea:Yes
Poisonous

Cinnamomum camphora (common name: camphor)

Propagation: Seed - the seed has a short viability and is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse[1]. Remove the fruit pulp since this can inhibit germination[1]. Germination can take 1 - 6 months at 20°c[2]. Stored seed should be sown as soon as possible in a warm greenhouse[3]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Consider giving them some protection from the cold for at least their first two winters outdoors.

Cuttings of semi-ripe side shoots, 7cm with a heel, June/July in a frame with bottom heat[3].

Cultivation: Succeeds in most soils[4] but prefers a fertile sandy moisture-retentive well-drained soil in full sun or light part-day shade[1]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.3 to 8.

Camphor is grown commercially in China and Japan as a medicinal tree and also for its essential oil[5]. It is only hardy in the milder areas of Britain[6][7], though it can survive occasional lows down to about -10°c when fully dormant[4]. The young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun[K]. There are various large trees that are growing well in Cornwall[8].

A very slow growing tree[9]. The roots are very sensitive to disturbance[2].

There are some named varieties, selected for their ornamental value[1].

Range: E. Asia - China, Japan.

Habitat: Banks of streams in China[10], to elevations of 750 metres[11].

Edibility: Young shoots and leaves - cooked[12][13]. Some caution is suggested because there is a report that the plant is poisonous in large quantities.

The old leaves are dried and used as a spice[12][13].

Medicinal: Camphor has a long history of herbal use in the Orient with a wide range of uses. It has occasionally been used internally in the treatment of hysteria, but in modern day herbalism it is mainly used as the essential oil and internal use is not advised[14].

The wood and leaves are analgesic, antispasmodic, odontalgic, rubefacient, stimulant. An infusion is used as an inhalant in the treatment of colds and diseases of the lungs[5][4][15][16][17].

The plant is more commonly used in the form of the essential oil which can be obtained by distillation of the chipped branches, trunk and wood of the tree, or from the leaves and twigs. Wood 24 - 40 years old is normally used[11]. The essential oil is anthelmintic, antirheumatic, antispasmodic, cardiotonic, carminative, diaphoretic, sedative and tonic[9][18][17][19]. It is used externally in liniments for treating joint and muscle pains, balms for chilblains, chapped lips, cold sores, skin diseases etc and as an inhalant for bronchial congestion[17]. Some caution is advised, excessive use causes vomiting, palpitations, convulsions and death[17]. It is possible that the oil can be absorbed through the skin, causing systemic poisoning[17].

The essential oil is used in aromatherapy. Its keyword is 'Piercing'[20]. It is used in the treatment of digestive complaints and depression[17].

Usage: The essential oil 'camphor' is obtained from the leaves and twigs[21][9][5][4][22]. It is extracted commercially by passing a current of steam through the wood chips, 30 kilos of wood yielding 1 kilo of camphor[23]. Camphor is used medicinally, in perfumes, as an insecticide and also to make celluloid and as a wood preservative[24]. It can also be put in shoes to cure perspiring feet[16] (probably by acting as a deodorant rather than preventing perspiration[K]).

The wood has been burnt as a fumigant during epidemics[25].

Wood - beautifully grained, light brownish, takes a good polish[26]. It is used for making furniture, cabinets, the interior finish of buildings etc[9][5][26].

Pollinators: Diptera

Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.

Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.

In Leaf: Evergreen

Flower Type: Hermaphrodite

Known Hazards: The plant is poisonous in large quantities[9]. Large doses can cause respiratory failure in children[11]. See the report below on medicinal uses for more information.

Also Known As: Camphora officinarum. Laurus camphora.

Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bird, Alfred. Growing from Seed Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan, 1990.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
  6. ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
  7. ↑ Taylor, Jane. The Milder Garden. Dent, 1990.
  8. ↑ Thurston, Edgar. Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall. Cambridge University Press, 1930.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
  10. ↑ Wilson, Ernest and Charles Sargent. Plantae Wilsonianae.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Stuart, Malcolm. The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism. Orbis Publishing, 1979.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
  14. ↑ Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
  15. ↑ Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
  18. ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
  19. ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
  20. ↑ Westwood, Christine. Aromatherapy - A Guide for Home Use. Amberwood Publishing, 1993.
  21. ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
  22. ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
  23. ↑ Vines, Robert. Trees of Central Texas. University of Texas Press, 1987.
  24. ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
  25. ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Flora of China. 1994.


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