Camphor-tree
Camphora officinarum
Found in disturbed areas, suburban woodlands, increasingly in natural forests. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you
-15
Harmful
Not native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 71%
- Height
- 40–50 feet
- Spread
- 50–70 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Dry to average

Do not plant. Listed invasive in Florida.
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Woody perennial
- Leaves
- Evergreen
- Bloom
- April to May
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Recorded in 51 Florida counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
1 of 2

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
9CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL
Genus host records with ranges including FL · Cinnamomum
- Callosamia prometheaPromethea Silkmoth, Promethea Moth
- Callosamia securiferaSweetbay Silkmoth, Carolina Silk Moth
- Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
- Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
- Papilio palamedesPalamedes Swallowtail
- Papilio troilusSpicebush Swallowtail
- Selenisa sueroidesTailpipes, Pale-Edged Selenisa Moth
- Deuterollyta majuscula
- Riculorampha ancyloides
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Lauraceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 9b–11b
- Soil pH
- Acidic to neutral
- Flower color
- Green or white
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “April to May” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Green or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Hardiness · “Zones 9b–11b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “40–50 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Leaves · “Evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “50–70 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Camphor tree; Cinnamomum camphora
Conservation status
| Florida rank | SNA |
|---|---|
| Global rank | GNR |
| FL status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Native alternatives
Find natives for your gardenSources
- Atlas of Florida Plants
- Florida Invasive Species Council list
- NatureServe Explorer
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications

