Field of Science

Cinnamon

One thing is certain based on the experience of 40+ years of teaching botany; very few people know what they are really eating or where it comes from. Providing such information, enlightening a few people, is part of the fun of teaching the botany of economically important plants. So TPP was delighted to find this rather nicely illustrated article about cinnamon at the HuffPo. Last year the Cinnamomum shrub in our glasshouse up and died, and as yet a replacement hasn't been obtained.  So if anyone has a trip planned to Sri Lanka, pick up a seedling for TPP; he'll be very grateful. Oh, yes, the cinnamon fern (Osmunda) has nothing to do with cinnamon; however it does describe the color of the mature fertile fronds and its spores.

2 comments:

mr_subjunctive said...

There's at least one Cinnamomum species that's sold in big box stores as an indoor plant occasionally. I only started seeing it about five years ago, I don't see it very often, and it's not necessarily the one you'd be looking for. But it might be easier than sending someone to Sri Lanka.

Google suggests that the one in question is probably C. verum or C. kotoense.

The Phytophactor said...

Cinnamon shrub in a big box? Well, have to keep my eyes open. TPP's favorite garden shoppe just got in a load of poorly IDed tropical plants and among them were black pepper and mango (hard to grow here in Lincolnland). Reminded them mangos were anacards so sensitive skinned types should be careful in handling them (their clear latex is the worst).