Camphor tree

Camphor tree

Cinnamomum camphora
Lauraceae

Large tree that grows to a height of 30 m, with a pale bark that is rough and fissured vertically. The leaves are glossy, to 13 cm long, and smell of camphor when crushed. The flowers are small and white and the fruit is a small black berry. Indigenous to Southeast China and Indochina, it is occasionally planted in the Philippines but is not common. The tree produces camphor, a white crystalline substance that has been used for centuries as a culinary spice, a component of incense and as a medicine.