The genus Cinnamomum

212 K. Nirmal Babu, P.N. Ravindran and M. Shylaja
Figure 9.1 Camphor tree.
beneath, with three main veins, impressed glands in vein axils, major veins prominent
on both sides. Inflorescence an axillary, many flowered panicle, up to 7 cm long, pedicel
1–1.5 mm long, glabrous, flowers bisexual, small; perianth tubular, six-lobbed,
membraneous, partly persistant in fruit; lobes ovate, 2.53 mm 1 mm, obtuse,
yellowish green, glabrous outside, pubescent inside, transversely tearing off near the
base; with nine fertile stamens, in three whorls, pubescent; first and second whorls
glandular, anthers oblong, 0.5 mm long, introrse, third whorl with subsessile, ovate
glands at the base and extrorse anthers; fourth whorl consists of three glandular
staminodes, ovoid with short filaments; anthers open upwards by flaps, ovary superior,
ovoid, subsessile, glabrous, style up to 2 mm long (Fig. 9.2). Fruit is a compressed –
globose berry, 7–10 mm in diameter, violet-black when ripe, one seeded. Seed 6–7 mm
in diameter (Windadri and Rahayu, 1999). For the detailed nomenclature of C. camphora
see Kostermans (1964).