Camphor oil is obtained by distilling the wood or leaves of Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Presl, which is a native of China, Japan and Taiwan, the last island producing the greatest amount. C. camphora can be distinguished from the other species of Cinnamomum mentioned above by the leaves being pinninerved, whereas the others have three to five distinct nerves from the base of the leaves proceeding towards the tip; camphor also has stout dormant buds. A large proportion of the world’s camphor is now produced synthetically from pinenc, a turpentine derivative, or from coal tar. Camphor is used in the manufacture of celluloid, in disinfectants and chemical preparations, and has a wide range of medicinal uses. Safrole, produced from the residual oil after camphor extraction, is used in soap and perfume manufacture.

Other species of Cinnamotnum, whose barks are used as spices or in medicine include: C. culilawan (Roxb.) Presl from the Moluccas; C. iners Reinw., which occurs from western India and Tenasserim (Burma) to Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines; C. javanicum Bl. in Malaysia and Indonesia; C. part henoxylon (Jack) Nees in Tenasserim and western Malesia; and C. sintoc Bl. in Java. All the binomials and authorities in this section are taken from Kostermans.

Some have cinnamaldehyde, the chief of these being the true cinnamon; some have eugenol and smell like cloves; some have safrole and smell like sassafras; and some contain camphor. Besides these four chemical components, they contain many other aromatic components, which are of importance as they give, or mar, the delicacy of the scents.

The cinnamon in the Seychelles was later found to be Cinnamomum verwn and was spread by birds (see ‘Propagation’ below). It occurs on the islands of Mahe, which is by far the largest producer, Silhouette, Praslin and La Digue. The total area is estimated at 20 000 acres (8 100 ha) and cinnamon is the second in importance of the Seychelles industries after copra, the principal products being cinnamon bark and cinnamon leaf oil.

The stiff exstipulate opposite leaves are somewhat variable in form and size. The petiole is 1-2 cm long, grooved on the upper surface. The lamina is usually 5-18 cm long and 3-10 cm wide, ovate or elliptic, the base is more or less rounded and the tip tends to be somewhat acuminate. There are three, sometimes five, conspicuous longitudinal veins found at the base of the lamina and running almost to the tip. The young leaves of the flush are reddish in colour, later turning dark green above with paler veins and pale glaucous beneath.

The flowers are borne in lax axillary and terminal panicles on the ends of the twigs. The peduncles are creamy white in colour, softly hairy and 5-7 cm long. The individual flowers are very small, about 3 mm in diameter, pale yellow in colour, with a fetid smell, and each subtended by a small ovate hairy bract. The calyx is campanulatc and pubescent with 6 acutely pointed segments. The corolla is absent. There are 9 stamens, with the six outer stamens being opposite the perianth lobes and an inner whorl of 3, inside which are 3 staminodes. Each perfect stamen has a short, hairy filament with two small glands present at its base and a four-celled anther opening by 4 small flap-shaped valves. The ovary is superior, unilocular with a single ovule, tapering to a short style.