There's an old saying: "A person lives for dignity, and a tree lives for its bark."
The meaning is simple: people live to maintain their dignity, while a tree relies on its bark to survive.
However, there is a type of tree in China whose bark is often stripped off by people. You may have already guessed it—cinnamon, a staple in the kitchen.
When cooking meat or making stews, cinnamon is an essential spice.
But what many don’t know is that after cinnamon bark is stripped and the tree dies, the bark is the last bit of value that can be extracted from it.
Cinnamon has nothing to do with the Osmanthus tree.
Many people are familiar with cinnamon in daily life, but few have seen the tree itself. Some even mistakenly believe that cinnamon is related to the commonly seen Osmanthus tree in southern China or think it’s the bark of that tree.
In fact, cinnamon has no connection to the Osmanthus tree.
Cinnamon, also known as Chinese cinnamon, is called by various names in local communities, such as yu gui, mu gui, and jun gui, which hints at its rarity. It’s a tree native to China.
Cinnamon is an evergreen tree from the laurel family, with a tall and sturdy trunk and grayish-brown bark.
In contrast, the Osmanthus tree belongs to the olive family and is a small evergreen shrub or tree. From this, it's clear that they are from different families and species. The only connection is that both have "gui" (cinnamon) in their names.
Cinnamon is less commonly seen because it requires specific growing conditions. This plant thrives in warm, humid environments.
It generally grows in regions where the temperature stays above 20°C year-round. However, it prefers humidity but can't handle excessive rainfall, which can lead to root and leaf rot, stunting its growth.
In China, cinnamon mainly grows in Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, and Guizhou provinces, with Guangdong being a major producer. Some wild cinnamon can also be found in the mountains.
A tree fully utilized from top to bottom.
If there’s a tree that humanity has perfectly utilized, cinnamon would be on that list. Many people know cinnamon and think it’s the most valuable part of the tree.
In fact, cinnamon bark is the least valuable part and the last bit to be used.
Cinnamon blooms in early summer, from June to August, releasing a strong fragrance that can be smelled near the tree. By October, the fruits ripen.
Cinnamon typically refers to the bark of the tree. While it is often used as a spice to enhance the flavor of dishes and stews by removing the smell of meat, the bark is not the most fragrant part of the cinnamon tree.
Cinnamon is a naturally aromatic tree. Its flowers, leaves, fruit, and bark all carry a distinct fragrance.
It's worth noting that the most fragrant part of the cinnamon tree is its early-stage fruit, often called “osmanthus” (in this context), followed by its flower stems, branches, bark, and leaves.
Not only can cinnamon be used as a spice, but it also has medicinal properties and is a raw material in cosmetics. The branches, leaves, fruits, and flower stems of the cinnamon tree can be used to extract cinnamon oil, which is a common ingredient in cosmetics and can even be used in making chocolate and cigarettes.
In addition, when used in medicine, cinnamon can be turned into deodorants, carminatives, and stimulating aromatics. It also has preservative properties.
Furthermore, the trunk of the cinnamon tree is a high-quality wood used in furniture making. If you like it, it's also a great tree for landscaping.
So, it's no exaggeration to say that every part of the cinnamon tree is valuable. It has indeed brought substantial income to farmers, with the revenue from planting one acre of cinnamon often reaching around 25,000 yuan, which is quite impressive.
Will the cinnamon tree die after its bark is stripped?
Many people wonder this because most trees die slowly after their bark is stripped. However, while stripping the bark can kill a cinnamon tree, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s dead for good.
Although cinnamon brings significant income, it’s labor-intensive to grow. Particularly in the early stages, the initial investment is substantial because a cinnamon tree has to grow for six to seven years before the bark can be harvested.
During this time, farmers must regularly fertilize and weed, even after the tree has matured, and harvesting the bark is a laborious process.
Traditionally, farmers cut the tree down about 20-30 cm above the ground, strip off the bark, bundle it up, and take it home to dry before cutting it into small pieces for sale.
Although the tree is cut down, it has a strong ability to regenerate. Shortly after being felled, new shoots will sprout from the stump. By selecting the healthiest shoot to keep and removing the others, the tree can regrow, and in a few years, the bark can be harvested again.
Therefore, cinnamon is typically planted once but can be harvested multiple times. Although this process may seem harsh—cutting down the tree after it has matured and stripping its bark—it’s a business driven by its economic value.
Nowadays, there’s also a practice of "live stripping," where only half of the bark is stripped, or after stripping, special treatments are applied to help the tree survive and grow new bark over time.
The long growing cycle, high investment, and labor-intensive processing are key reasons why cinnamon is relatively expensive.
