Camphora parthenoxylon

Camphora parthenoxylon
The trunk of Cinnamomum parthenoxylon, Siu Lek Yuen Green Trail, Sha Tin, NT, Hong Kong
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Laurales
Family: Lauraceae
Genus: Camphora
Species:
C. parthenoxylon
Binomial name
Camphora parthenoxylon
Synonyms[2]
Synonymy
  • Camphora chinensis Nees
  • Camphora inodora Blume ex Miq.
  • Camphora inuncta Nees
  • Cinnamomum parthenoxylon (Jack) Meisn.
  • Camphora porrecta (Roxb.) Voigt
  • Camphora pseudosassafras Miq.
  • Cinnamomum barbatoaxillatum N.Chao
  • Cinnamomum inodorum (Blume ex Miq.) Meisn.
  • Cinnamomum inunctum (Nees) Meisn.
  • Cinnamomum malaccense Meisn.
  • Cinnamomum neesianum Meisn.
  • Cinnamomum penninervium Kosterm.
  • Cinnamomum porrectum Kosterm.
  • Cinnamomum pseudosassafras Meisn.
  • Cinnamomum purpureum H.G.Ye & F.G.Wang
  • Laurus chinensis Nees
  • Laurus glandulifera Meisn.
  • Laurus parthenoxylon Jack
  • Laurus porrecta Roxb.
  • Laurus pruinosa Reinw. ex Blume
  • Laurus pseudosassafras Blume
  • Laurus sassafras Lour.
  • Litsea pruinosa Nees
  • Parthenoxylon porrectum (Roxb.) Blume
  • Parthenoxylon pruinosum Blume
  • Parthenoxylon pseudosassafras Blume
  • Persea pseudosassafras Zoll. & Moritzi
  • Phoebe latifolia Champ. ex Benth.
  • Sassafras loureiroi Kostel.
  • Sassafras parthenoxylon (Jack) Nees
  • Tetranthera camphoracea Wall. ex Meisn.

Camphora parthenoxylon is an evergreen tree in the genus Camphora, 10–20 m (33–66 ft) tall. It is native to South and East Asia (Bhutan, Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong,[3] India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam).[4]

Nomenclature

Camphora parthenoxylon is known variously as Selasian wood,[5] Saffrol laurel,[6] Martaban camphor wood, Yellow cinnamomum[3] or Yellow camphora-tree[3] in English.[7] It has the outdated heterotypic synonym Laurus porrecta (Roxb.). The species name parthenoxylon derives from parthenos xylon (Greek: παρθενός ξύλον), meaning "virgin wood".

The common name in Chinese is huangzhang (黄樟)[8] and in Spanish alcanforero amarillo,[9] both meaning "yellow camphor". In Vietnamese it is called re hương[10] and in Cambodia, it is thought to be the tree known as mreah prew phnom (Khmer: ម្រះព្រៅភ្នំ).[11]

Description

Camphora parthenoxylon is an evergreen tree that can grows up to 50 metres tall.[1][12] with a trunk to 60 cm in diameter.[12] The tree has greenish brown bark with deep fissures that peels off in small flakes.[3] The entire tree emits a strong camphora-scent.[3] Its leaves are glossy green ovals 7–10 cm long with a point at the end. Like many plants in the Lauraceae, the leaves give off a pleasant smell when crushed. The flowers appear in clusters, very small, and are greenish yellow in colour.[3] The fruits are drupes that turns black when matured.[13][3]

Life cycle

The species flowers from March to May, and fruits from April to October.[3]

Range and habitat

Camphora parthenoxylon is a widely distributed tree native to South and Southeast Asia and parts of Australasia, including southern and southwestern China, Nepal, eastern Himalayas, Assam, Indochina, Hainan, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Pakistan, and southern Australia.[2][3] The estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) is very large at 8,025,973 km2, with an area of occupancy (AOO) of 520 km2.[1]

The species grows in primary and secondary lowland and montane tropical and subtropical humid forests, from sea level up to 2,000 metres. It can grow on sand, sandstone, or granite substrates.[1] In Borneo, it occurs in Sarawak, Sabah, and East Kalimantan, where it is found in lowland and montane rainforests, often in secondary vegetation.[12]

Uses

The aromatic bark of Camphora parthenoxylon is used for flavoring, like that of many other Cinnamomum species.[14] The wood and fruit emit a strong camphor scent that repels insects, and the essential oils from its wood and leaves, known as "camphora oil", are effective in controlling household pests.[3] The bark extract has also shown medicinal potential; in rats, it was found to reduce postprandial hyperglycemia.[15]

The durable, insect-resistant wood is valued for shipbuilding, furniture, and artwork, while the seeds can be processed into soap.[3] Additionally, its straight trunk and large canopy make it an excellent shade tree for streets and parks.[3] In Indonesia, the flowers hold cultural significance, symbolizing love and the connection between the living and the dead.[16] In Kudus Regency, Java, they were traditionally scattered on tombs by family members.[16]

However, the tree is under significant pressure from harvesting for safrole, a compound used to produce the pesticide synergist piperonyl butoxide, the flavor and fragrance compound piperonal, and the psychoactive drug MDMA. Much of this illicit collection occurs in Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains and Botum Sakor National Park,[17][18] a situation explored in the 2009 TV documentary Forest of Ecstasy, an episode of Vanguard.[19][20]

Conservation

In 2004, the Cambodian government classified C. parthenoxylon as a rare species and prohibited any logging of this tree. In addition, the production, import, and export of safrole rich oils has been illegal in Cambodia since 2007.[17]

In Vietnam the tree is considered critically endangered.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e de Kok, R. (2020). "Cinnamomum parthenoxylon". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T33198A2834736. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T33198A2834736.en. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Camphora parthenoxylon (Jack) Nees Plants of the World Online. Accessed 28 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Zhang, Allen (2023). 香港100種景觀樹木圖鑑 [A Photographic Guide to 100 Ornamental Trees of Hong Kong] (in Traditional Chinese and English). Hong Kong: 萬里機構. pp. 45–47. ISBN 9789621474872.
  4. ^ Li, Xi-wen; Li, Jie; van der Werff, Henk. "Camphora parthenoxylon". Flora of China. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2013 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  5. ^ Schimmel (April 1911). Annual Report on Essential Oils, Synthetic Perfumes, &c. p. 43.
  6. ^ Coster, B (1993). "Diskettes with commercial Woodnames". Tervuren Xylarium Wood Database. Hoofddorp, Holland. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
  7. ^ Kurz, Sulpice (1875). Preliminary report on the forest and other vegetation of Pegu. Calcutta: C.B. Lewis, Baptist Mission Press. p. xcix. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  8. ^ Wiersema, John H.; León, Blanca, eds. (2016). "Cinammonum partheloxylon". World Economic Plants: A Standard Reference, Second Edition (2 ed.). CRC Press. p. 176. ISBN 9781466576810. Also under Indices of Common Names: Non-Latin Script Languages, Chinese, p. 1270
  9. ^ Porcher, Michel H. (30 April 2007). "Sorting Cinnamomum names". The University of Melbourne. Archived from the original on 18 February 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  10. ^ Sein & Mitlöhner (2011), p. 1.
  11. ^ Farmer, Steven (2017). "Chapter 5 Bath Salts and Other Drugs of Abuse". Strange Chemistry: The Stories Your Chemistry Teacher Wouldn't Tell You. John Wiley & Sons. p. 187. ISBN 9781119265290.
  12. ^ a b c Wuu-Kuang, Soh (2011). Taxonomic revision of Cinnamomum (Lauraceae) in Borneo. Blumea – Biodiversity, Evolution and Biogeography of Plants, Volume 56, Number 3, 2011, pp. 241–264(24). Naturalis Biodiversity Center DOI: https://doi.org/10.3767/000651911X615168
  13. ^ Sánchez de Lorenzo-Cáceres, José Manuel. "Cinnamomum parthenoxylon". arbolesornamentales.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  14. ^ Uphof, Johannes Cornelis Theodorus (1968) [1959]. Dictionary of Economic Plants (second ed.). New York, NY: J. Cramer. p. 131. ISBN 978-3-904144-71-1. OCLC 48693661.
  15. ^ Jia, Q; Liu X; Wu X; Wang R; Hu X; Li Y; Huang C. (August 2009). "Hypoglycemic activity of a polyphenolic oligomer-rich extract of Cinnamomum parthenoxylon bark in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats". Phytomedicine. 16 (8): 744–750. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2008.12.012. PMID 19464860. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  16. ^ a b Hamdani, Sylviana (27 November 2009). "Five-Star Tradition at Le Meridien Hotel in Jakarta". The Jakarta Globe. Archived from the original on 4 December 2009. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  17. ^ a b "Strengthening the response Against Exploitation of Forestry Resources through Organized Law Enforcement (SAFROLE)". United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Archived from the original on 19 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  18. ^ Campbell, Sam (30 August 2009). "Harvested to make Ecstasy, Cambodia's trees are felled one by one". GlobalPost. Archived from the original on 7 September 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  19. ^ Adam Yamaguchi; Joanne Shen; Mike Horn Yasu Tsuji, eds. (29 October 2009). "Forest of Ecstasy". Vanguard. Season 3. Episode 3. Current TV. Archived from the original on 13 October 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  20. ^ Documentary film: Forest of Ecstasy Archived 21 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine Adam Yamaguchi (reporter). Vanguard 2009. Hosted by Cambodian Information Center
Bibliography
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