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wild cinnamon

Canella winterana · Canellaceae

wild cinnamon (Canella winterana)
Photo: no rights reserved · CC0 · via iNaturalist

wild cinnamon (Canella winterana) is a perennial tree in the Canellaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 11 and warmer, down to about 40°F.

At a glance

Typetree Derived
Lifecycleperennial USDA
Native statusnative USDA
Mature height33 ft USDA
BloomJune–August USDA
Flower colorRed USDA
Hardiness zones11 and warmer USDA
Guild layerunderstory Derived
Nursery availabilityRoutinely Available USDA

USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.

Growing conditions

Its cold limit is zone 11.

Size and growth

At maturity it reaches about 33 ft, making it a substantial woody plant.

Bloom period

USDA records a bloom period of June through August. Flowers are red.

A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.

Foliage, flower and season

Summer foliage is green, medium in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. Its fruit or seed heads are conspicuous, extending interest past flowering. Its active growth period is spring.

What the site needs to provide

It needs at least 365 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 36 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.

Propagating it

Propagate it from seed, bare root and container stock. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period.

Resilience and wildlife

Browsing animals rate it barely palatable — the sourced basis for calling it deer-resistant.

Role in a guild

Understory. In a layered planting this is the layer beneath the canopy, tall enough to hold structure but shaded from above. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.

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Tags

evergreensalt-tolerantclay-tolerantsandy-soildeer-resistantnativeedible

Related plants

Similar role and hardiness

Where this data comes from

Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol CAWI, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.

Read our full data sources and methodology.

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