Cinnamomum camphora

Camphor tree, Camphor Tree

Family: Lauraceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Camphor tree is a naturalized shrub found in southwestern California coastal regions, San Joaquin Valley's Antioch Dunes, and southwestern Peninsula Ranges in moist places at elevations below 150 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces small greenish-white flowers clustered in inflorescences 3 to 7 centimeters long. Growing to heights up to 30 meters with smooth, spreading branches, it develops a broad, rounded canopy. Its leaves are distinctive, measuring 6 to 12 centimeters long and 2.5 to 5.5 centimeters wide, with an ovate-elliptic shape and prominent basal lateral veins. The mature tree produces small purple fruits approximately 6 to 9 millimeters in diameter.

Habitat: Moist places

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: < 150 m

Bioregions: nw SnJV (Antioch Dunes), SCo, sw PR

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.