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Nomenclature etc. LAURACEAE. Ca. 50 species from Asia and the australo-pacific region. Trade and local names: camphor wood (trade, GB); huru (ID); keplah wangi, teja, bunsod (MY). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 8 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: temperate Asia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indomalesia, Pacific Islands, Australia.
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct or indistinct or absent (distinctly semi-ringporous only in wood from subtropical and temperate climate regions). Heartwood basically brown (to olive), yellow; with streaks or without streaks (with distinct streaks in the darker and heavier species, e.g. C. camphora, C. parthenoxylon). Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour and distinct from heartwood colour. Odour distinct, or indistinct or absent (distinctly aromatic only in few species, e.g., C. cecidodaphne, C. camphora, C. eugenoliferum, C. grandiflorum, C. litseaefolium, C. micranthum). Density 0.5–0.75 g/cm³.
Vessels. Vessels present. Wood semi ring porous or diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows or in radial rows of 4 or more. Vessel outline rounded, or angular. Average tangential vessel diameter 60–135–170 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 6–15(–22). Perforation plates simple and scalariform (generally only few scalariform perforation plates), with 2–10 bars. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 7–11(–13) µm. Vessel-ray pits with reduced borders or apparently simple, different from intervessel pits, rounded or angular and horizontal to vertical, of uniform size or type. Helical thickenings absent. Tyloses present, thinwalled.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thin-walled, or of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 1100–1600(–2000) µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres septate and non-septate, or non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma not banded. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty, or vasicentric, or confluent. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 3–6.
Rays. Rays 5–8 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 2–4(–5) cells wide. Aggregate rays absent. Height of large rays up to 500 µm, or commonly 500 to 1000 µm. Rays composed of two or more cell types (heterocellular). Heterocellular rays with square and upright cells restricted to marginal rows, mostly 1 marginal row of upright or square cells.
Storied structures. Storied structure absent.
Secretory structures. Oil and mucilage cells present, associated with axial parenchyma, ray parenchyma, and fibres (secretory cells highly variable in quantity and shape, mostly oilcells; mucilage cells frequent in: C. iners, C. javanicum, C. obtusifolium, C. sintoc, C. tamala). Intercellular canals absent. Laticifers or tanniniferous tubes absent.
Cambial variants. Included phloem absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present or not observed, in other forms (needles, splinters, small styloids - only in few species), located in ray cells. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square or procumbent. Number of crystals per cell or chamber more than one. Crystals in one cell or chamber of two distinct sizes. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract not fluorescent; colour of water extract colourless to brown. Ethanol extract not fluorescent. Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Froth test positive (weakly), or negative. Splinter burns to full ash, or to partial ash. Ash white to grey.
Illustrations. • Macroscopic images. transverse (ca. 10x). radial (natural size). • Transverse section. Cinnamomum cassia. • Transverse section, enlarged. Cinnamomum camphora. Cinnamomum culilawan. transverse section: semi-ringporous specimen with smaller pores and many oil cells (left); diffuse porous specimen with larger pores and fewer oil cells (right). • Tangential section. Cinnamomum burmanii. • Radial section. few oil cells in both ray and axial parenchyma. Cinnamomum culilawan. • Secretory cells. Cinnamomum iners. Cinnamomum pauciflorum. secretory cells with mucilage (left) and oily compounds (right). • Vessel-ray pitting; perforation plates. Cinnamomum cassia. cross-field pits simple and variable in shape (left); occasionally scalariform perforation plates in smaller vessels (right).
The interactive key allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting specified attributes, summaries of attributes within groups of taxa, and geographical distribution.
Cite this publication as: ‘Richter, H.G., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2000 onwards. Commercial timbers: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. In English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. Version: 9th April 2019. delta-intkey.com’.
