Cinnamon
Cinnamomum cassia
📖 About this plant
Cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia — cassia or “Chinese cinnamon,” the main Indian type; also Cinnamomum verum — “true cinnamon” or Ceylon cinnamon, native to Sri Lanka) is an evergreen tree in the Lauraceae (laurel) family — alongside bay, avocado, and sassafras — prized for its aromatic inner bark, one of the oldest and most beloved spices in the world. The word “cinnamon” comes from the Hebrew/Greek kinamon, and cinnamon is mentioned in the Bible (Moses was instructed to use it in holy anointing oil), ancient Egyptian embalming rituals (it was used in mummification), ancient Greek and Roman cuisine and medicine, and ancient Chinese medicine (in the Shennong Bencao Jing, ~2800 BC). Cinnamon was so prized in the ancient world that it was considered a gift fit for kings and gods — the Roman emperor Nero burned a years supply at his wife Poppaeas funeral in 65 AD as a gesture of remorse. The Portuguese, Dutch, and British fought for centuries over control of the cinnamon trade from Sri Lanka (Ceylon), the original source of “true cinnamon.” Today, the four main types are: Ceylon cinnamon (Sri Lanka, “true cinnamon” — delicate, complex, citrusy), Cassia (southern China and Myanmar/India — stronger, sweeter, hotter, the type most common in Indian markets and most “cinnamon” sold worldwide is actually cassia), Saigon cinnamon (Vietnam — very high oil content, intense), and Malabar cinnamon (India — south India). The cinnamon tree is a handsome evergreen, 8-15 m tall (kept smaller by coppicing — cutting to the ground to encourage bushy shoots, since the bark is harvested from young stems), with glossy dark green lance-shaped leaves that emerge bright red/pink before maturing green, small pale yellow flowers in panicles, and small purple-black berries (the fruits, when dried, look and smell like cloves — called “cinnamon buds” and used as a spice). The spice is the inner bark, peeled from 2-3 year old stems, scraped of its outer cork layer, then dried in the sun — the bark naturally curls into the familiar “quills” or sticks. The bark contains 1-4% essential oil, mostly cinnamaldehyde, which gives cinnamon its characteristic warm, sweet, woody aroma and flavor. Cinnamon is essential to Indian sweets (kheer, payasam, halwa), garam masala, biryani, pulao, chai, and the famous “five-spice” and “seven-spice” blends. It is also widely used in Western baking (apple pie, cinnamon rolls, snickerdoodles, mulled wine, hot chocolate), Middle Eastern savory dishes, Mexican chocolate, and Persian rice dishes. In Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine, cinnamon is valued for digestion, blood sugar regulation, colds/flu, and as a warming spice.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
Full sun to partial shade
Regular; keep evenly moist
Moderate to high (50-80%)
20-32°C
Rich well-draining sandy loam; pH 5.5-7.0
Balanced NPK every 3 months; organic mulch
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Southern China and Myanmar (Cassia); Sri Lanka (True Cinnamon)
- 📏 Max height
- 8-15 m
- 📐 Spread
- 4-8 m
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Spring; small yellow-white panicles
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Pale yellow to white
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Glossy dark green lance-shaped leaves (red when young)
- ⏳ Lifespan
- 40-80 years (productive)
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate — harvest in 2-3 years
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Cassia contains coumarin — high doses can stress liver; safe in culinary amounts
- 🌱 Propagation
- Seeds, cuttings, air layering
🛡️ Health & Safety
Common issues
- Cinnamon stripe virus, leaf spot, anthracnose, sooty mold, pink disease, scale insects, mealybugs, cinnamon mosquito (larvae bore into bark), termites, poor bark yield from young or stressed trees
💡 Care tips
- Grow from fresh seeds (preferred — germinate in 2-4 weeks), semi-hardwood cuttings, or air layering. Plant in full sun to partial shade in rich, well-draining, slightly acidic sandy loam enriched with compost. Cinnamon thrives in humid tropical conditions — ideal temperature 20-32°C, humidity 50-80%, rainfall 200-250 cm/year. In home gardens outside the tropics, grow in a greenhouse or warm humid spot — cinnamon cannot tolerate frost. Water regularly — keep soil evenly moist but not waterlogged. Mulch heavily to retain moisture and feed soil life. Feed with balanced organic fertilizer every 3 months. Young trees need shade for the first 1-2 years — plant under a temporary shade tree or shade net. Coppice (cut to ground level) at 2-3 years to encourage multiple bushy shoots — these shoots are the source of harvestable bark. After coppicing, the tree regrows with multiple stems — harvest individual stems at 2-3 year intervals (cut a stem, leave others to grow). Bark harvest: cut 2-3 year old stems at ground level, peel off outer bark, then carefully scrape the inner bark into thin strips that naturally curl into quills as they dry. Dry quills in the sun for 4-7 days until completely dry and brittle. Store in airtight containers in a cool, dark, dry place — cinnamon retains flavor for 2-3 years whole, 6-12 months ground. For powder, grind quills in a spice grinder as needed (pre-ground cinnamon loses flavor quickly). The leaves are also aromatic (contain cinnamaldehyde) and can be used as a bay leaf substitute in curries. A single coppiced tree yields 1-3 kg dried bark per year at maturity. Popular Indian cultivars include Konkan Tej, Nithyasree, and various local selections. Note: most Indian "cinnamon" is actually cassia (Cinnamomum cassia) — true Ceylon cinnamon (C. verum) is softer, more delicate, and has lower coumarin (a compound that, in large amounts, can stress the liver — cassia has much higher coumarin than true cinnamon).