Cedar Wood.
Latin—Lignum Cedri; French—Bois de cèdre; German—Cedernholz.
The wood met with in commerce is derived from the Virginian juniper tree, Juniperus virginiana, which is used in large quantities for inclosing lead pencils. The chips, the offal from this manufacture, can be employed with advantage for the extraction of the essential oil contained therein. Long uniform shavings of this wood are also used for fumigation, and the sawdust for cheap sachet powders. Cedar wood is reddish-brown, fragrant, very soft, and splits easily. In the perfumery industry it usually passes under the name of the “cedar of Lebanon,” although the wood from the last-mentioned tree (Cedrus libanotica) has quite a different agreeable odor, is very firm, reddish-brown, and of a very bitter taste—qualities by which it is readily distinguished from the other.
Cinnamon.
Latin—Cinnamomum; French—Canelle; German—Zimmtrinde.
Cinnamon consists of the bark of the young twigs of the cinnamon-tree, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, indigenous to Ceylon. Good cinnamon consists of thin, tubular, rolled pieces of bark which are smooth, light brown (darker on fracture), of a pronounced characteristic odor, and a burning and at the same time sweet taste. The most valuable in commerce is that from Ceylon; the thicker bark is less fine.
Chinese cinnamon or cassia (French, Cassie; German, Zimmtcassia) consists of the bark of the cassia-tree, an undetermined species of Cinnamomum indigenous to Southern China; this is grayish-brown and has the general properties of true cinnamon, but it as well as the oil extracted from it has a less fine odor than cinnamon or oil of cinnamon. A very fine kind of Cinnamon has for a number of years past appeared on the market under the name of Saigon cinnamon. It is very rich in oil, and is exported from Cochin-China. Besides the true oils of cinnamon and cassia, other essential oils are met with in commerce under the names of oil of cinnamon flowers and oil of cinnamon leaves, but their odor is not so fine as that of the former. The so-called cinnamon flowers are the unripe fruits of various cinnamon laurels, collected after the fall of the blossoms. They form brownish cones the length of the nail of the little finger, and furnish an essential oil whose odor resembles that of cinnamon.
Citron.
Latin—Fructus Citri; French—Citron; German—Citronenfrüchte.
The fruit of a tree, Citrus medica, indigenous to northern India, but largely cultivated in the countries situated around the Mediterranean and in other countries. It is cultivated both for the pleasant acid juice of the fruit and for their fragrant rinds. Only the latter are of value for our purposes. It occurs in European commerce under the name of Citronat or citron peel. Good commercial citron peel should be in quarters and as fresh as possible, which is shown by its softness, the yellow color, and the strong odor. Old peel looks shrunken and brownish and has but little pleasant odor.
Citron Flowers.
Latin—Flores Citri; French—Fleurs de citron; German—Citronenblüthen.
The flowers of the citron-tree (Citrus medica) are white, fragrant, and contain a very aromatic essential oil; but as the oil is always extracted from the fresh flowers, the latter do not form an article of commerce.