Cinnamon is a popular spice used in cooking and for flavoring candies and preserves. It comes from the inner bark of the cinnamon tree. The tree grows in Sri Lanka, the principal source of the spice, and in Brazil, India, Jamaica, Java, Madagascar, and Martinique. The cinnamon tree grows as high as 30 feet (9 meters) and has oval leaves and tiny yellow flowers. The fruit of the cinnamon tree looks like an acorn.
Workers cut off the tops of cinnamon trees near the lower buds so that strong, straight shoots grow up from the base. The shoots are gathered, and the inner bark is peeled off. The bark then turns brown and curls up as it dries. The dried bark is sold as stick cinnamon or is ground up to make powdered cinnamon. Oil of cinnamon is made from the fruit, leaves, and roots of the tree.
An oil similar to that of the cinnamon tree comes from a related plant, commonly called cassia. Cassia oil and bark are often used instead of cinnamon.
