Cinnamomum parthenoxylon
Encyclopedia
Cinnamomum parthenoxylon known in English
as Selasian wood, Saffrol Laurel, or as Martaban camphor wood. It has the outdated heterotypic synonym Laurus porrecta (Roxb.
). The species name parthenoxylon derives from parthenos xylon , meaning "virgin wood." The common name is Spanish
is alcanforero amarillo (in English: "yellow camphor") and it is thought to be the tree known in Khmer
as mreah prew phnom . It is an evergreen
tree
in the genus Cinnamomum
. It is native to Cambodia
, Indonesia
, Malaysia, Philippines
, and Vietnam
. In Vietnam, the tree is considered Critically Endangered.
. Its leaves are a glossy green ovals 7–10 cm long with a point at the end. Like many plants in the Laurel Family
, the leaves give off a pleasant smell when crushed. The flowers appear in clusters and are green and very small. The fruits are black
ish drupe
s.
In Indonesia
the flowers of Cinnamomum parthenoxylon symbolize love and connection between the living and the dead. Traditionally, in the Kudus Regency on the island of Java
, the flowers we scattered on tombs by family members.
, a primary ingredient in the manufacture of the psychoactive drug
MDMA. Much of this illicit harvesting is happening in the Cardamom Mountains
in Cambodia
. The illegal harvesting is the subject of an episode of Vanguard
An extract from the bark has been shown in rat
s to display hyperglycemic
effects.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as Selasian wood, Saffrol Laurel, or as Martaban camphor wood. It has the outdated heterotypic synonym Laurus porrecta (Roxb.
William Roxburgh
William Roxburgh was a Scottish surgeon and botanist. He has been called the Father of Indian Botany.-Early life:Roxburgh was born at Underwood in the parish of Craigie, Ayrshire. He studied medicine in Edinburgh...
). The species name parthenoxylon derives from parthenos xylon , meaning "virgin wood." The common name is Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
is alcanforero amarillo (in English: "yellow camphor") and it is thought to be the tree known in Khmer
Khmer language
Khmer , or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. It is the second most widely spoken Austroasiatic language , with speakers in the tens of millions. Khmer has been considerably influenced by Sanskrit and Pali, especially in the royal and religious...
as mreah prew phnom . It is an evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
in the genus Cinnamomum
Cinnamomum
Cinnamomum is a genus of evergreen aromatic trees and shrubs belonging to the Laurel family, Lauraceae. The species of Cinnamomum have aromatic oils in their leaves and bark. The genus contains over 300 species, distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of North America, Central America,...
. It is native to Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Malaysia, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. In Vietnam, the tree is considered Critically Endangered.
Growth
The tree has gray to brown barkBark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
. Its leaves are a glossy green ovals 7–10 cm long with a point at the end. Like many plants in the Laurel Family
Lauraceae
The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 3500, perhaps as many as 4000, species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America...
, the leaves give off a pleasant smell when crushed. The flowers appear in clusters and are green and very small. The fruits are black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
ish drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
s.
In Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
the flowers of Cinnamomum parthenoxylon symbolize love and connection between the living and the dead. Traditionally, in the Kudus Regency on the island of Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
, the flowers we scattered on tombs by family members.
Uses
The tree is of special concern, as it is being harvested at a high rate to obtain safroleSafrole
Safrole, also known as shikimol, is a phenylpropene. It is a colorless or slightly yellow oily liquid. It is typically extracted from the root-bark or the fruit of sassafras plants in the form of sassafras oil , or synthesized from other related methylenedioxy...
, a primary ingredient in the manufacture of the psychoactive drug
Psychoactive drug
A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, or psychotropic is a chemical substance that crosses the blood–brain barrier and acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it affects brain function, resulting in changes in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior...
MDMA. Much of this illicit harvesting is happening in the Cardamom Mountains
Cardamom Mountains
The Krâvanh Mountains, literally the "Cardamom Mountains" , is a mountain range in the south west of Cambodia, jutting into southeastern Thailand.-Location and description:...
in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
. The illegal harvesting is the subject of an episode of Vanguard
Vanguard (TV series)
Vanguard is a television documentary series broadcast on the Current TV television network. Currently in its fifth season, Vanguard reports on such issues as the environment, drugs and the effects of globalization and conflict....
An extract from the bark has been shown in rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s to display hyperglycemic
Hyperglycemia
Hyperglycemia or Hyperglycæmia, or high blood sugar, is a condition in which an excessive amount of glucose circulates in the blood plasma. This is generally a glucose level higher than 13.5mmol/l , but symptoms may not start to become noticeable until even higher values such as 15-20 mmol/l...
effects.