Cinnamomum tamala

Indian bay leaf
Semi-dried Indian bay leaves
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Laurales
Family: Lauraceae
Genus: Cinnamomum
Species:
C. tamala
Binomial name
Cinnamomum tamala
Synonyms[2]
  • Cinnamomum albiflorum Nees
  • Cinnamomum cassia D.Don nom. illeg.
  • Cinnamomum lindleyi Lukman.
  • Cinnamomum macrocarpum[1]
  • Cinnamomum pauciflorum var. tazia (Buch.-Ham.) Meisn.
  • Cinnamomum reinwardtii Nees
  • Cinnamomum veitchii Lukman.
  • Cinnamomum zwartzii Lukman.
  • Laurus tamala Buch.-Ham.

Cinnamomum tamala, Indian bay leaf, also known as tejpat,[3] tejapatta, Malabar leaf, Indian bark,[3] Indian cassia,[3] or malabathrum, is a tree in the family Lauraceae that is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and China.[3] It can grow up to 20 m (66 ft) tall.[4] Its leaves have a clove-like aroma with a hint of peppery taste; they are used for culinary and medicinal purposes. It is thought to have been one of the major sources of the medicinal plant leaves known in classic and medieval times as malabathrum (or malobathrum).[5]

  1. ^ Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants
  2. ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of all Plant Species".
  3. ^ a b c d "Cinnamomum tamala". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  4. ^ Xi-wen Li, Jie Li & Henk van der Werff. "Cinnamomum tamala". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  5. ^ Umberto Quattrocchi (2016). CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology (5 Volume Set). CRC Press. pp. 959+. ISBN 978-1-4822-5064-0.