Plant
Cinnamon
Cinnamomum verum / Cinnamomum cassia
Also known as: Cinnamomum verum, Ceylon cinnamon, Cinnamomum cassia, cassia
Two related evergreen tree species in the laurel family (Lauraceae) whose dried inner bark is the spice. *Cinnamomum verum* (true cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon) is native to Sri Lanka and southwestern India; *Cinnamomum cassia* (cassia, Chinese cinnamon) is native to southern China and mainland Southeast Asia. Most cinnamon sold in North American supermarkets is actually cassia. The spice was so valuable in the ancient world that its source was kept secret by Arab traders for centuries — Greek and Roman authors made up implausible origin stories rather than admit they didn't know.
Scientific
Two principal cultivated species:
- Cinnamomum verum (true cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon) — native to Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats; thinner, more brittle, lighter-flavored bark; lower coumarin content
- Cinnamomum cassia (cassia, Chinese cinnamon) — native to southern China and mainland Southeast Asia; thicker, harder, stronger-flavored bark; higher coumarin content
Most “cinnamon” sold in North America is cassia. European labeling rules distinguish more strictly. The coumarin distinction is medically relevant — chronic high-dose cassia consumption can stress the liver in sensitive individuals; C. verum is much lower in coumarin.
The spice is the dried inner bark, harvested by peeling young branches in long strips that curl as they dry — the familiar quill shape.
Cultural and historical
Cinnamon appears in ancient Egyptian embalming, in Hebrew scripture (as one of [[spirituality|the holy]] anointing oil ingredients), in Greek and Roman luxury cuisine, and in the medieval European spice trade. The spice’s source was famously obscured by Arab traders for over a millennium — Herodotus reported that cinnamon was gathered from giant bird nests on cliffsides (a deliberate misdirection that helped maintain the Arab monopoly).
Portuguese capture of Sri Lanka in 1505, followed by Dutch (1638) and British (1796) control of the cinnamon trade, was driven specifically by access to the Cinnamomum verum supply.
Global production
Top producers (combined cinnamon and cassia): Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India.
See also
Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.
- Shares approach with: [[ginger]] · [[star-anise]] · [[orange]] · [[lychee]] · [[longan]]
- Member of: [[plants]]
- Cousin of: [[camphor-tree]]
Sources
- FAO Crop Statistics
- Wikipedia — Cinnamon
A plant entry in the 0mn1.one [[directory]].
What links here, and how
Inbound connections from across the wiki, grouped by lens and by relationship. These appear automatically — every entity page declares what it links to, and that data populates here on the targets.
Scientific
cousin of
- Camphor tree auto-linked from body mention
Cultural
shares approach with
- Bay laurel auto-linked from body mention
- Cardamom auto-linked from body mention
- Star anise auto-linked from body mention
4 inbound links · 7 outbound