Camphora (plant)

Camphora
	Camphora officinarum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Embryophytes
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Laurales
Family:	Lauraceae
Genus:	Camphora; Fabr.
Species
	See text.
Synonyms
	Parthenoxylon Blume;

Camphora is a genus of evergreen plants belonging to the laurel family Lauraceae, previously considered a synonym of Cinnamomum. The genus contains approximately 20 species, distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia.^[1]

Description

The species of Camphora are evergreen trees or shrubs. Their leaves are alternate and pinnately veined or weakly tripliveined, which differed from the opposite or subopposite and tripliveined leaves of Cinnamomum species.^[1] The tepals do not persist when fruiting, unlike in Cinnamomum species, where they are persistent or at least partially persistent.^[2] The flowers are produced in paniculate inflorescences with cymes bearing strictly opposite lateral flowers. The flowers are bisexual, with nine fertile stamens, plus three staminodes with conspicuous cordate or sagittate heads in the fourth androecial whorl. The fruit is cupulate.^[1]

Taxonomy and phylogeny

The genus Camphora was described in 1759 by the German botanist Philipp Conrad Fabricius.^[3] It was listed under synonymy of Cinnamomum s.l. for a long time, with the species classified in the Sect. Camphora of Cinnamomum. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2022 found that the large genus Cinnamomum was polyphyletic; in the revised classification to create monophyletic genera, genus Camphora was resurrected.^[1] It contains the following species:^[4]

Camphora blandfordii (M.Gangop.) Ormerod
Camphora bodinieri (H.Lév.) Y.Yang, Bing Liu & Zhi Yang ≡ Cinnamomum bodinieri
Camphora brachythyrsa (J.Li) Y.Yang, Bing Liu & Zhi Yang ≡ Cinnamomum brachythyrsum
Camphora camphorata (H.Lév.) Ormerod ≡ Machilus camphoratus H.Lév., Cinnamomum caudiferum Kosterm., Cinnamomum foveolatum (Merr.) H.W.Li & J.Li
Camphora chartophylla (H.W.Li) Y.Yang, Bing Liu & Zhi Yang ≡ Cinnamomum chartophyllum
Camphora glandulifera (Wall.) Nees ≡ Cinnamomum glanduliferum
Camphora glaucescens (Nees) Ormerod
Camphora illicioides (Hayata) K.F.Chung & C.L.Hsieh ≡ Cinnamomum ilicioides
Camphora kanahirae (Hand.-Mazz.) Y.Yang, Bing Liu & Zhi Yang ≡Cinnamomum kanehirae
Camphora longepaniculata (Gamble) Y.Yang, Bing Liu & Zhi Yang ≡ Cinnamomum longepaniculatum
Camphora micrantha (Hayata) Y.Yang, Bing Liu & Zhi Yang ≡ Cinnamomum micranthum
Camphora migao (H.W.Li) Y.Yang, Bing Liu & Zhi Yang ≡ Cinnamomum migao
Camphora mollifolia (H.W.Li) Y.Yang, Bing Liu & Zhi Yang ≡ Cinnamomum mollifolium
Camphora mollis (W.W.Sm.) Ormerod ≡ Camphora tenuipilis (Kosterm.) Y.Yang, Bing Liu & Zhi Yang, Cinnamomum tenuipile Kosterm.
Camphora officinarum Boerh. ex Fabr. ≡ Cinnamomum camphora – camphor laurel
Camphora parthenoxylon (Jack) Nees ≡ Cinnamomum parthenoxylon – Selasian wood, Martaban camphor wood, saffrol laurel
Camphora philippinensis (Merr.) Y.Yang, Bing Liu & Zhi Yang ≡ Cinnamomum philippinense
Camphora platyphylla (Diels) Y.Yang, Bing Liu & Zhi Yang ≡ Cinnamomum platyphyllum
Camphora purpurea (H.G.Ye & F.G.Wang) Y.Yang, Bing Liu & Zhi Yang ≡ Cinnamomum purpureum
Camphora rufotomentosa (K.M.Lan) Y.Yang, Bing Liu & Zhi Yang ≡ Cinnamomum rufomentosum
Camphora septentrionalis (Hand.-Mazz.) Y.Yang, Bing Liu & Zhi Yang ≡ Cinnamomum septentrionale

The following species were classified in the Sect. Camphora of Cinnamomum s.l.,^[2] but have now proven to be more closely related to true Cinnamomum:

Cinnamomum longipetiolatum
Cinnamomum saxatile

Its relationship with closely related taxa is shown below:^[1]

Ocotea group

	Camphora

	Sassafras

	Cinnamomum

	Kuloa

References

1 2 3 4 5 Yang, Zhi; Liu, Bing; Yang, Yong; Ferguson, David K. (2022). "Phylogeny and taxonomy of Cinnamomum (Lauraceae)". Ecology and Evolution. 12 (10) e9378. Bibcode:2022EcoEv..12E9378Y. doi:10.1002/ece3.9378. ISSN 2045-7758. PMC 9526118. PMID 36203627. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
1 2 Li (李), Xiwen (锡文), ed. (1982). Lauraceae & Hernandiaceae. Vol. 13. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
↑ Fabricius, P. C. (1759). Enumeratio methodica plantarum horti medici Helmstadiensis: Subiuncta stirpium rariorum vel nondum satis extricatarum descriptione. Litteris Ioannis Drimbornii.
↑ "Camphora Fabr". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 6 May 2026.

[Yang2022-1] 1 2 3 4 5 Yang, Zhi; Liu, Bing; Yang, Yong; Ferguson, David K. (2022). "Phylogeny and taxonomy of Cinnamomum (Lauraceae)". Ecology and Evolution. 12 (10) e9378. Bibcode:2022EcoEv..12E9378Y. doi:10.1002/ece3.9378. ISSN 2045-7758. PMC 9526118. PMID 36203627. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

[frps-2] 1 2 Li (李), Xiwen (锡文), ed. (1982). Lauraceae & Hernandiaceae. Vol. 13. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

[3] Fabricius, P. C. (1759). Enumeratio methodica plantarum horti medici Helmstadiensis: Subiuncta stirpium rariorum vel nondum satis extricatarum descriptione. Litteris Ioannis Drimbornii.

[powo-4] "Camphora Fabr". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 6 May 2026.

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