Camphora officinarum is a species of evergreen tree that is commonly known under the names camphor tree, camphorwood or mushk-kapoor.

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Characteristic feature: Tracheophytes
• Type of seed: Angiosperms
• Order: Laurales
• Family: Lauraceae
• Genus: Camphora
• Species: C. officinarum

Camphora officinarum is native to China south of the Yangtze River, Taiwan, southern Japan, Korea, India, and Vietnam, and has been introduced to many other countries. It grows up to 20–30 m tall. In Japan, where the tree is called kusunoki, five camphor trees are known with a trunk circumference above 20 m.

Camphora officinarum, is an evergreen tree with distinctive botanical features. Its leaves are glossy, opposite, and elliptical, with a leathery texture. The tree produces small, white flowers with a strong fragrance. The fruit is a black, berry-like drupe containing a single seed. The bark is rough and grayish-brown.

However, the botanical significance of Camphora officinarum extends beyond its external features. The very heartwood of this tree is a source of camphor, a crystalline substance renowned for its characteristic and aromatic scent. The extraction and utilization of camphor from the wood have found applications in various industries

C. camphora is cultivated for camphor and timber production. Camphor is a white crystalline substance, obtained from the tree C. camphora. Camphor has been used for many centuries as a culinary spice, a component of incense, and as a medicine. It is also an insect repellent and a flea-killing substance. The species contains volatile chemical compounds in all plant parts, and the wood and leaves are steam distilled for the essential oils. Camphor laurel has six different chemical variants called chemotypes, which are camphor, linalool, 1,8-cineole, nerolidol, safrole, and borneol. In China, field workers avoid mixing chemotypes when harvesting by their odour. The cineole fraction of camphor laurel is used in China to manufacture fake “eucalyptus oil”.