ABSTRACT
The “true” cinnamon or spice cinnamon is the dried inner stem-bark of Cinnamomum verum (Syn. C. zeylanicum). This species is mostly cultivated in Sri Lanka, Malagasy Republic, and Seychelles. Sri Lanka produces about three-quarters of the total world production of cinnamon. Although the Sri Lankan grown spice has a special appeal because of its organoleptic properties, there are, however, significant compositional variations even within the plantations in Sri Lanka. The presence of chemical cultivars has been recorded previously (Wijesekera, 1978; Wijesekera et al., 1975). Even within the commercially cultivated species such chemical cultivars have been noted. These cultivars are recognised by sensory evaluation by the planters and denoted by such nomenclature as: “sweet”, “honey”, “camphoraceous” and also “mucilaginous”, “wild” and “bloom”. Only the “sweet” and “honey” varieties are extensively cultivated (Senanayake, 1977). There has also been a variety recently termed “Pieris” cinnamon, probably first identified by a planter by the name of Pieris. This variety is present within the commercial plots and has been investigated by the authors recently (unpublished).
