# Camphor laurel (Camphora officinarum)

> 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.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/camphora-officinarum · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: Camphor tree
- Family: Lauraceae
- Type: Broadleaf evergreen
- Mature height: 25 m; spread 25 m
- Growth: Fast growing; lives about 150 years
- USDA hardiness zones: 9 to 11
- Light: Sun or part shade
- Water: Low water
- 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.

**Benefits:** Shade, Birds, Drought tolerant, Fast canopy

**Good for:** parks, Yard shade

**Watch out for:** Invasive elsewhere, Large roots, Toxic parts, Messy fruit

## 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.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** China (Southern China per GISD; WCVP treats China as introduced); Japan; South Korea; Taiwan
- **Adapted:** New Zealand (Introduced and naturalised on the North Island per WCVP)
- **Invasive:** NSW, Australia (Regional priority weed (e.g. Hunter, asset protection: should not be bought, sold, moved or released); heavy infestations in Lismore, Tweed, Byron and Ballina); FL, United States (FISC Category I invasive; UF/IFAS Assessment: invasive; not regulated); South Africa (NEMBA 2020: Category 3 in the Western Cape; heritage trees exempt; not listed elsewhere)
- **Prohibited:** QLD, Australia (Category 3 restricted invasive plant under the Biosecurity Act 2014: must not be given away, sold or released into the environment)
- **Recommended:** Los Angeles, CA, United States (On the City Plants (Los Angeles) Street Tree Species List); Sacramento, CA, United States (On the Sacramento Tree Foundation Shady 80 recommended trees list)

## 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/