The Magellanic Canelo tree, also known as the boighe ( Drimys winteri ), is native to Chile and Argentina. It is characterized by its height and beauty, with glossy leaves and white flowers. For the Mapuche people, it is a sacred tree, and in their language, they call it foye or foyke. It is a medicinal plant used to treat colic and indigestion. I invite you to learn more about it.
Magellan's Cinnamon
The tree known by the common names of cinnamon, boighe or false cinnamon, is native to the countries of Chile and Argentina in South America, it is a tree with rapid growth, which if planted in the garden of the house after two years you will have a medium sized tree. It has a pyramidal type silhouette and a straight trunk of almost 15 to 20 meters high.
It has shiny, simple, leathery leaves, green on the upper side and whitish on the underside, with a smooth edge. Its flowers are white with a yellow center and its fruits are dark blue berries. The bark of its trunk provides vitamin C, which is why they used to make infusions with its bark to treat scurvy, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C.
Captain John Winter was the first to describe the medicinal properties of this tree to treat scurvy, which is a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency that affected sailors who did not eat fruit on long sea voyages. Winter, sailed with Sir Francis Drake between the years of 1577 and 1580 and was one of the pioneers of oceanic expeditions.
Morphological characteristics
This evergreen tree can reach a height of between 20-25 meters, has a pyramidal crown, usually compact. The bark of its trunk is grayish, smooth, thick, soft, aromatic. The wood of this tree is reddish in color with tracheids like conifers. It has lanceolate leaves, with a length of around 20 centimeters and 1,5 to 6 centimeters wide, its leaves are alternate, simple, the color of its leaves is bright green on the upper side and whitish on the underside.
Its flowers are arranged in umbels or solitary, with a diameter of 2,5 to 3 centimeters, reddish pedicels, more or less dome-shaped receptacles: with 2-3 sepals, 5 to 7 millimeters; with 6 to 15 petals of 0,6 to 2 centimeters of white color. Fruits berries of a dark purplish blue color and seeds between 3 to 4,5 millimeters, of a shiny black color.
Taxonomic Classification
The scientific name of the cinnamon tree, Drimys winteri , comes from the Greek words Drimys , meaning irritant, referring to the taste of its bark, and winteri , in honor of Captain John Winter, one of the pioneers of ocean exploration. Winter sailed between 1577 and 1580 on Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the globe.
It is a tree native to Chile and Argentina, described by J.R. Forst and G. Forst, and is generally known by the names Canelo and Boighe. It belongs to the botanical family Winteraceae. Its botanical description and classification were first published in Characteres Generum Plantarum 84, vol. 42, in 1775 (November 29, 1775). The variety Drimys winteri var. chilensis (DC.) A. Gray, which specifies the native specimens of Chile, is accepted .
The synonymy of this tree is very varied, due to descriptions made in which they have called this tree with other scientific names that are already in disuse and obsolete, namely:
- Cortex winteranus Garsault
- Descourt aromatic Drimys. former Baill.
- Drimys aromatique Descourt.
- Drimys chilensis
- Drimys chilensis var. broadleaf Miers
- Drimys granatensis Mutis ex Lf
- Drimys magnoliaefolia Kunth ex-Eichler
- Drimys paniculata
- Drimys polymorpha Spach ex Baill.
- Drimys punctata
- Drimys winterana
- aromatic winter Murray
- aromatic winterana former Foth.
- winterana cortex Dalechamps
Cinnamon Distribution
In Argentina it is distributed in the area near the mountain range from the south of the province of Mendoza to the province of Tierra del Fuego. In the country of Chile it is found in the regions of Coquimbo, protected by the Bosque Fray Jorge National Park until it reaches the southern sector of Tierra del Fuego in the Magallanes Region.
Its cultivation
If you want to grow Canelos trees, it is suggested to know the conditions in which it is found in nature, as this will allow you to have an idea of what conditions and care it requires in its cultivation.
It is a tree that has to be grown outdoors in full sunlight, when this young can be located in places with indirect sunlight. It has to be planted at an approximate distance of between 5 to 7 meters from pipes, walls, posts, to avoid damage when it grows.
If you plant it directly in the garden, the planting substrate must be rich in organic matter to provide a good amount of nutrients, with good drainage and good porosity and loose for good root development. If planted in a pot, use fertilized soil mixed with 30% perlite, a pot of more than 1 meter in diameter must be used so that the roots of this tree grow well and then be transplanted two years after planting, to the definitive site. .
The frequency of irrigation depends on the season of the year, during the summer the frequency of irrigation will increase if the weather is hot and with little humidity. In winter, it is irrigated with rainwater. The transplant of this tree is suggested, when the frosts have already passed. In case of having it in a pot, it is suggested after two years or before in case the roots are coming out of the pot.
It propagates by seeds during the spring. A dwarf variety has been obtained, called Drimys winteri varo andina, which grows bushy, and is a good and interesting option to grow in smaller gardens. Drimys winteri varo andina, also has the whitish flowers of the original species, but only reaches 1 meter in height.
Uses of this tree
It is a tree widely used as an ornamental in gardens, because it is decorative and easy to care for. Its flowers are very pretty, and the pyramidal shape of this tree makes it very attractive for use in landscaping projects.
In addition, it is used as a medicinal plant for its bark, which is rich in vitamin C and tannins, which are used to treat scurvy, as an antibacterial and for external use to heal wounds. Because it is rich in tannins, it also serves as a repellent for insects that damage wood. Its reddish-colored wood is used in making musical instruments.
This tree has been studied by different laboratories in its native countries, since 1956 there are reports on its chemical composition and medicinal properties. It is a plant with different active ingredients, in which its high concentration of vitamin C in its bark stands out, with concentrations higher than those found in orange and lemon fruits. Its properties include its essential oil, the amounts of tannin and vitamin C that make it valuable in disinfection and wound healing.
Sacred Tree of the Mapuches
In the Mapuche culture it is the symbol of the machi and it is one of the sacred trees of their culture. They plant them near the altar or rehue that the Mapuches use in their ceremonies, which are called guillatún and machitún. During these ceremonies they take one of its branches to offer it as part of the liquid offerings.
In ancient times, during the 16th century, the loncos or boigues made walking sticks from the wood of the canelo tree, as this was a symbol of authority during times of peace. They were called "owners of the canelo," which in Mapudungun was ngenfoye, pronounced boigue in Spanish , hence its common name. It is also worth noting that in Chile, the Huilliche tribe associates the canelo tree with witchcraft.
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