Japanese name: ヤブニッケイ（藪肉桂） Scientific name:Cinnamomum yabunikkei
[Overview]
An evergreen tree about 10 m tall, found in laurel forests near the coast in warm regions.
Young branches are yellowish green.
The leaves are simple and alternate, ovate-elliptic, 6–12 cm long and 2–5 cm wide, with entire margins.
Three veins are conspicuous on the leaf, and the upper surface is glossy.
The underside of the leaf is yellowish green or whitish with a powdery bloom.
The petiole is 0.8–1.8 cm long.
Umbels arise from the leaf axils of new shoots and bear several flowers.
The flowers are yellowish green, about 0.5 cm across.
The fruit is an elliptic to spherical berry 1–1.2 cm long, ripening to purplish black.
[Uses]
The whole plant is aromatic, and oil is extracted from the seeds.
It is used as timber for construction and for utensils.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
The germination rate drops if the seeds are dried, so collect ripe fruit, wash off the pulp thoroughly and sow immediately, or store the seeds so that they do not dry out and sow them in spring.
It prefers sunny, humus-rich, moderately moist soil, but is not particular about soil type unless the soil is extremely poor.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
