Cinnamomum malabatrum

Cinnamomum malabatrum, wild cinnamon, country cinnamon[2] also known as malabathrum, is a tree in the family Lauraceae that is endemic to Western Ghats of India.[3][4] It can grow up to 15 m (49 ft) tall. It has aromatic leaves that are used for culinary and medicinal purposes. It is thought to have been one of the major sources of the medicinal plant leaves known in classic and medieval times as malabathrum (or malobathrum).

Cinnamomum malabatrum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Laurales
Family: Lauraceae
Genus: Cinnamomum
Species:
C. malabatrum
Binomial name
Cinnamomum malabatrum
(Burm.f.) J.Presl
Synonyms[1]
  • Cinnamomum malabathricum Lukman.
  • Cinnamomum ochraceum Blume
  • Cinnamomum rheedii Lukman.

Uses

The bark is sometimes used for cooking, although it is regarded as inferior to true cinnamon or cassia. Thorough macroscopic and microscopic investigations revealed that Cinnamomum malabatrum is mixed with Cinnamomum tamala as an adulterant in 'Tamalapatra', a highly reputed commodity in drug and spice trade.[5] It is often used in kumbilappam or chakka-ada, an authentic sweet from Kerala, infusing its characteristic flavor to the dumplings.

Etymology

Malabar had been traditionally used to denote the west coast of Southern India that forms the present-day state of Kerala and adjoining areas. The word mala or malaya means "mountain" in the Tamil and Malayalam languages, as also in Sanskrit. The word "malabathrum" is thought to have been derived from the Sanskrit tamālapattram (तमालपत्त्रम्), literally meaning "dark-tree leaves".

References
  1. "The Plant List: A Working List of all Plant Species".
  2. Quattrocchi, Umberto (2016). CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants: Common Names. CRC Press. p. 958. ISBN 9781482250640.
  3. "Cinnamomum malabatrum (Burm.f.) Bl. - LAURACEAE". biotik.org. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  4. "Cinnamomum malabatrum (Burm. f.) Presl". India Biodiversity Portal. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  5. KN, Sunil Kumar (2013). "Macro-microscopic examination of leaves of Cinnamomum malabatrum (Burm. f.) Blume sold as Tamalapatra". AYU. 34 (2): 193–9. doi:10.4103/0974-8520.119677. PMC 3821250. PMID 24250130.
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