THE Cinnamon, Cassia, or Canella, are shrubs of no great height: they grow in Ceylon, Malabar, Java, Sumatra, and other places in the East Indies; as I think, in the island of St. Thomas, and on the coast of Coromandel.
They are described by Mr. Ray, in his History of Plants, vol. ii. f. 1559. under the title de Arboribus Pruniferis.
Philos. Trans. Vol. L. Tab. XXXVI. p. [860].
J. Mynde. sc.
Linnæus, in his Species Plantarum, places them under the title Enneandria Monogynia, by the name Laurus.
The leaf, flower, and fruit, of this plant, are particularly described by Mr. Ray.
The leaf is smooth and shining; has one large vein running thro’ the midst, and a remarkable one on each side; the middle one generally running near the length of the leaf.
The leaves differ in shape, some being more acute, others more oval or obtuse.
The flowers grow in an umbel, somewhat like the Laurus Tinus; but they are small, consisting of one petal, of a tubular form at the bottom, and divided at the top into six segments in the form of a star.