{"slug":"camphora-officinarum","scientific_name":"Camphora officinarum","common_names":["Camphor laurel","Camphor tree"],"family":"Lauraceae","type":"broadleaf_evergreen","mature_height_m":25,"mature_spread_m":25,"growth_rate":"fast","lifespan_years":150,"hardiness_zones":[9,11],"sun":"full_partial","water":"low","soil":"Fertile, well-drained sandy or loamy soils; tolerates pH 4.3 to 8 and drought once established; poor in wet soils","native_range":"Native to Japan, Korea, the Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan (and per other sources southern China and northern Vietnam); the accepted name is Camphora officinarum, long known as Cinnamomum camphora.","description":"A massive, dense evergreen shade tree of 15 to 30 m with glossy leaves that smell of camphor when crushed and black berries that birds spread everywhere. Introduced to Australia in the 1820s, it now dominates about 91,000 ha of catchments in northern New South Wales, replacing pasture, blue gums and rainforest regrowth. It is a Category 3 restricted invasive plant in Queensland, a regional priority weed in parts of NSW and a Category I invasive in Florida.","care":"Do not plant it in eastern Australia, Florida or the US Gulf states. Established trees shade out everything; replace gradually with native species because they often serve as wildlife corridors. Control by cut-stump or stem injection; seedlings pull easily. All parts are mildly toxic and can irritate skin. Roots crack concrete and block drains.","benefits":["shade","birds","drought_tolerant","fast_canopy"],"uses":["parks","yard_shade"],"cautions":["invasive_elsewhere","large_roots","toxic_parts","messy_fruit"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Cinnamomum_camphora20050314.jpg","image_credit":"Wikimedia Commons, file Cinnamomum_camphora20050314.jpg (see file page for author and licence)","sources":["https://weeds.dpi.nsw.gov.au/Weeds/CamphorLaurel","https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/biosecurity/plants/invasive/restricted/camphor-laurel","https://plant-directory.ifas.ufl.edu/plant-directory/cinnamomum-camphora","http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/speciesname/Cinnamomum+camphora","https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/saf220858.pdf","https://www.gbif.org/species/207197395","https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cinnamomum-camphora/"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/camphora-officinarum","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/camphora-officinarum.md","regions":[{"country":"CN","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Southern China per GISD; WCVP treats China as introduced","source_url":"http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/speciesname/Cinnamomum+camphora"},{"country":"JP","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/207197395"},{"country":"KR","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/207197395"},{"country":"TW","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/207197395"},{"country":"US","region":"CA","locality":"Los Angeles","status":"recommended","note":"On the City Plants (Los Angeles) Street Tree Species List","source_url":"https://www.cityplants.org/street-tree-species-list/"},{"country":"US","region":"CA","locality":"Sacramento","status":"recommended","note":"On the Sacramento Tree Foundation Shady 80 recommended trees list","source_url":"https://sactree.org/best-trees-for-sacramento/"},{"country":"NZ","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"adapted","note":"Introduced and naturalised on the North Island per WCVP","source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/207197395"},{"country":"AU","region":"NSW","locality":null,"status":"invasive","note":"Regional priority weed (e.g. Hunter, asset protection: should not be bought, sold, moved or released); heavy infestations in Lismore, Tweed, Byron and Ballina","source_url":"https://weeds.dpi.nsw.gov.au/Weeds/CamphorLaurel"},{"country":"US","region":"FL","locality":null,"status":"invasive","note":"FISC Category I invasive; UF/IFAS Assessment: invasive; not regulated","source_url":"https://www.floridainvasives.org/plant-list/2025-invasive-plant-species/"},{"country":"ZA","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"invasive","note":"NEMBA 2020: Category 3 in the Western Cape; heritage trees exempt; not listed elsewhere","source_url":"https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/saf220858.pdf"},{"country":"AU","region":"QLD","locality":null,"status":"prohibited","note":"Category 3 restricted invasive plant under the Biosecurity Act 2014: must not be given away, sold or released into the environment","source_url":"https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/biosecurity/plants/invasive/restricted/camphor-laurel"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}