Cinnamomum loureirii; cinnamon

Japanese: ニッケイ(肉桂) - ニッケイ（英語表記）Cinnamomum loureirii; cinnamon

An evergreen tall tree of the Lauraceae family. Native to the Indochina Peninsula. It can reach a height of 8m and has lush branches. The leaves are alternate, egg-shaped, oblong, leathery, glossy, and have three distinct veins. In May and June, long stalks grow from the axils of the upper leaves of young branches, and many small yellow-green flowers grow in clusters in cymes. There are six tepals, about 5mm long, with 12 stamens and one pistil. The fruit is oval, 1.5cm long, and ripens black. The bark and roots are called cinnamon bark and are used as medicinal products such as stomachic and diaphoretic agents, and as a flavoring for sweets and cooking. The so-called "cinnamon" is made by bundling fine roots. The leaves also contain aromatic volatile oils, which are used as raw materials for perfumes, fragrant oils, and flavorings. The English name "cinnamon" comes from the closely related species, Cinnamon bark, native to Ceylon, but several other species in the same genus, such as cassia ( C. cassia) from southern China and cinnamon (C. zeylanicum) , are also called cinnamon in a broad sense. In Japan, cinnamon is cultivated in Kochi Prefecture and Kagoshima Prefecture. C. japonicum, which commonly grows wild in evergreen broad-leaved forests south of the Kanto region, is also a plant of the same genus, but it has a weak fragrance and is not used.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

クスノキ科の常緑高木。インドシナ半島原産。高さ 8mに達し，枝はよく茂る。葉は互生し卵状長楕円形で革質，光沢があり，明瞭な3脈がある。5～6月に，若枝の上部の葉腋より長い柄を伸ばし，集散花序に黄緑色の小花を多数固めてつける。花被片6枚，長さ約 5mm，12本のおしべと1本のめしべがある。果実は楕円形，長さ 1.5cmで黒く熟する。樹皮や根を乾燥したものを肉桂皮と呼び，健胃剤，発汗剤などの薬用とし，菓子，料理の香料にも使用される。いわゆる「にっき」は細根をそのまま束ねたものである。また葉は芳香性の揮発油を含み，香水，香油，香料などの原料となる。英名のシナモンは特にセイロン原産の近縁種である桂皮をさすが，このほか中国南部産のカッシア C. cassia (トンキンニッケイ) やセイロンニッケイ C. zeylanicumなど同属の数種が広い意味でニッケイと呼ばれる。日本ではニッケイは高知県，鹿児島県などで栽培される。関東地方以南の照葉樹林に普通に野生するヤブニッケイ C. japonicumも同属の植物であるが，香気は弱く利用されない。

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