Cinnamomum virens

Cinnamomum virens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Magnoliids
Order:	Laurales
Family:	Lauraceae
Genus:	Cinnamomum
Species:	C. virens
Binomial name
Cinnamomum virens R.T.Baker

Cinnamomum virens is a rainforest tree growing in the eastern coastal parts of Australia. Common names include Red-barked sassafras, Black Sassafras, Camphorwood, Scentless Cinnamon Wood and Native Camphor Laurel. The habitat is between the Williams River (New South Wales) and the Main Range National Park in Queensland. Growing in rich volcanic soils or on the poorer sedimentary soils, often in association with the Coachwood.

Description

A medium sized tree up to 30 metres tall and with a stem diameter of 60 cm. The tree's crown is small and not spreading. The trunk is cylindrical and straight, somewhat flanged at the base on larger trees. Bark is reddish brown, fairly smooth but with some 1 cm sized squares of bark and corky protuberances. Small branches usually green and smooth.

Leaves simple, opposite on the stem, elliptical in shape with a blunt tip. 5 to 12 cm long, 2 to 3 cm wide. Smooth glossy green above, duller green below. Leaves partially three veined with a the first pair secondary veins reaching around half the length of the leaf before terminating at the leaf edge.

Flowers form on panicles between February to July. The fruit is a black fleshy drupe, oval in shape, 10 to 12 mm long, 6 to 8 mm wide. The base of which is sunk into a six sided calyx tube. The single seed is 8 mm long, and 5 mm wide, ripening from August to December. Fresh seeds should be sown, as they quickly dry out.

References

• Floyd, A.G., Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia, Inkata Press 2008, ISBN 9780958943673 page 179
• "Cinnamomum virens". PlantNET - NSW Flora Online. http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Cinnamomum~virens. Retrieved 2010-04-08.