Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Section: Common Name: Scientific Name: Family:
Account for Camphor-tree - Camphora officinarum   Nees
Members of Lauraceae:
Only member of Camphora in NC.
Flora of SE USGoogle Images
Section 4 » Family Lauraceae
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AuthorNees
DistributionThere is a 1950 collection of apparently escaped plant(s) at the Cape Fear River near Wilmington, New Hanover County (Blackburn s.n. CHRB). Collections from Carteret and Orange counties are of cultivated plants. Weakley (2025) says "in NC, reported for Moore County", though the website editors have no further data.

Native of eastern Asia; in N.A. mostly on the Gulf Coastal Plain, and GA to NC.
AbundanceVery rare.
HabitatDisturbed areas, riverside.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting April-May.
IdentificationCamphor-tree is evergreen, with ovate leaves that have a drip-tip. It may be confused with Persea, but the tepals are equal in length (vs. 3 long and 3 short tepals in that genus). In fruit, Camphora has a cupule at the base of the fruit (vs. absent in Persea).
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State RankSE
Global RankGNR
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