Camphor is usually an aromatic crystalline substance obtained from cinnamomum camphora tree.
Camphor is usually an aromatic crystalline substance obtained from cinnamomum camphora tree.
Camphora is naturalized in Taiwan, southern Japan, southeast china and Indochina. The camphor obtained is been used from ancient times for various uses in medicine and food.
Camphor tree is also popular in Australia as ornamental plant where it is called camphor laurel.
Camphor tree is huge evergreen tree that grows with the height of 20-30metres tall. The leaves of this tree are lustrous, and give waxy appearance.
The leaves are 2-4 inch long and evergreen. The flowers are white-yellow and give pleasant fragrance.
The fruit of camphor tree is dark green berry bearing in clusters and the colour changes to black when the fruit gets ripe.
The bark of the tree is rough externally and smooth internally.
Camphor is propagated by seeds and the tree thrives in full sunlight to partial shade with well drained soil.
It tolerates almost all types of soil such as clay, loamy, sandy, alkaline and acidic soils.
Cinnamomum camphora is found in many parts of the world and but throughout the Queensland and central to northern south Wales camphora trees are found as noxious weed.
Extract and wood
Camphor tree contains volatile chemical compound in all the parts and the other main constituents are chemotypes: camphor, linalool, 8-cineole, nerolidol, safrole, or borneol.