CINNAMON OR TRUE CINNAMON - Intercom Exports

morphologically to distinguish one from the other in the whole form, it is difficult to
identify them in powder form..
The quality of cinnamon depends, among other factors, on the region where it is
grown. Ceylon Cinnamon and cinnamon from the SEYCHELLES Island are considered
to be among the best. In India, cinnamon is grown on the West coast. At Anjarakkandi,
Cannamore district, Kerala, there is a 248 acre Randa Tara cinnamon plantation – one of
the biggest and perhaps the oldest cinnamon plantation in Asia. It also grows on the
Western Ghats, from South Canara southwards at lower altitudes.
VARIETIES OF CINNAMON
Several cultivars are known, but mostly sweet or honey types are cultivated
extensively. For bark and bark oil, 2 varieties of cinnamon viz., Navashree (sl 63) and
Nithyashree (IN 189) yielding 55.6 kg and 54.2 kg dry bark/ha/year, respectively have
been recommended for cultivation. These were selected based on their regeneration
capacity, yield and quality. They have leaf oil recovery of 2.8% &3% and eugenol
content of 62%& 78%, respectively. A eugenol- rich leaf oil yielding cinnamon variety
Sugandhini (ODC-130) with a leaf oil yield of 300 ml/tree/ year , oil recovery 1.6% on
fresh weight basis (3.7% on fresh weight basis) and eugenol 94% is recommended for
leaf oil. Young flushes of IISR Navashree are purple in colour which turn into green in 7
–10 days, while in IISR Nithyashree this occurs in just 2 days. Both the lines are
recommended for all cinnamon growing regions of the country. SL 63 (IISR Navashree)
is a superior open pollinated selection from Sri Lankan introductions. IISR Nithyashree is
another superior open pollinated selection from elite tree from Anjarakandy, Cinnamore.
GENETIC RESOURCES OF CINNAMON
Cinnamon and Cassia are like cousins and these are the two oldest spices known
to mankind. Cinnamonum verum is the true cinnamon of commerce. Cassia is obtained
from various like C. cassia, C.burmanii, C.loureirii and C.tamala.
ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION
Cinnamonum schaeffer (layraceae) is a large genys having more than 250 sps.,
distributed in south and south- east asia, China and Australia . only a few sps., are
important commercially. Cinnamon is the dried bark of Cinnamonum verum (syn. C.
zeylanicum). It is indigenous to Sri Lanka which produces the largest quantity and best