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

Camphora
Camphora officinarum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Laurales
Family: Lauraceae
Genus: Camphora
Fabr.
Species

See text.

Synonyms

Description

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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 persistent when fruiting, while Cinnamomum species' persistent or at least partially persistent.[2] Species have paniculate inflorescences with cymes bearing strictly opposite lateral flowers. Flowers are bisexual with nine fertile stamens, plus three staminodes with conspicuous cordate or sagittate heads in the fourth androecial whorl. The fruits are cupulate.[1]

Taxonomy and phylogeny

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The genus Camphora was introduced in 1759 by the German botanist Philipp Conrad Fabricius.[3] It was listed under synonymy for Cinnamomum s.l. for a long time. And species were 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, the following 18 species are placed in the resurrected genus Camphora:[1]

Camphora kanahirae (≡Cinnamomum kanehirae) was subsequently transferred to this genus by other botanists.

The following species are classified in the Sect. Camphora of Cinnamomum s.l.,[2] while they're now proven to be more closely related to true Cinnamomum:

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

Ocotea group

Camphora

Sassafras

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e 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.
  2. ^ a b 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.